Saudi Central Bank Has $3.81 Million Holdings in Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Saudi Central Bank raised its position in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 76.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 32,456 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 14,078 shares during the period. Saudi Central Bank’s holdings in Aflac were worth $3,805,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. NBH Bank acquired a new stake in Aflac during the 2nd quarter valued at $42,000. MW Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Aflac during the 2nd quarter worth about $843,000. Markowski Investments acquired a new stake in Aflac in the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Plan A Wealth LLC increased its position in Aflac by 3.4% in the 2nd quarter. Plan A Wealth LLC now owns 6,533 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $766,000 after acquiring an additional 217 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SMART Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Aflac in the second quarter worth about $281,000. Institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Aflac

In related news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,500 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.19, for a total transaction of $1,582,065.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 50,687,690 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,940,090,391.10. This trade represents a 0.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 468,015 shares of company stock valued at $54,991,090. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on AFL shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of Aflac from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $124.00 price target (up from $114.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Aflac in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $103.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company set a $122.00 price objective on Aflac and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Aflac from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $116.62.

Aflac Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE AFL opened at $117.09 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $121.49 and a 200 day simple moving average of $116.28. The company has a market capitalization of $58.70 billion, a PE ratio of 12.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a current ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 0.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Aflac Incorporated has a 12 month low of $104.66 and a 12 month high of $130.22.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.76 by ($0.01). Aflac had a net margin of 26.91% and a return on equity of 13.27%. The company had revenue of $4.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.11 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.78 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.04 EPS for the current year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 19th were given a $0.61 dividend. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 19th. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.15%.

Key Headlines Impacting Aflac

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Aflac partnered with actor Ben Affleck and its iconic duck for a new advertising campaign, including branded billboards and social-media activity in Los Angeles. The campaign could increase consumer awareness and support future policy sales, although its direct financial impact is uncertain. Ben Affleck and the Aflac Duck Unite for New Ad Campaign
• Positive Sentiment: Aflac remains attractive to income-focused and defensive investors. The company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.61 per share, equivalent to $2.44 annually, with an approximately 2.1% yield and a payout ratio near 26%. A recent dividend-focused article also recognized Aflac’s long record of annual increases. Safe High-Yield Dividend Stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: The Ben Affleck billboard activity appears to be a planned publicity campaign rather than actual vandalism. It may generate short-term brand engagement, but no revenue, earnings guidance or other measurable financial benefit was announced. Ben Affleck Aflac Advertising Campaign
• Negative Sentiment: Japan Post Holdings, a major Aflac shareholder, sold 13,500 shares for approximately $1.58 million on September 2 and has reported several similar sales in recent weeks. The latest transaction reduced its stake by only about 0.03% and was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, limiting its significance, but the repeated selling may create a modest supply overhang. Aflac Major Shareholder SEC Filing

About Aflac

Aflac Incorporated (American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus) is a provider of supplemental insurance products designed to help policyholders manage out-of-pocket health care and living expenses. The company underwrites a range of individual and group policies that typically pay cash benefits directly to insureds when covered events occur, enabling greater financial flexibility for medical treatment, hospital stays, critical illness, and related costs. Aflac’s product mix includes supplemental health insurance, life insurance and other specialty coverages intended to complement primary medical plans.

Founded in the mid-20th century and headquartered in Columbus, Georgia, Aflac distributes its products through a combination of employer-sponsored programs, independent brokers and agents, and direct marketing.