Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. Acquires Shares of 7,450 Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 7,450 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $874,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AFL. Ieq Capital LLC purchased a new position in Aflac in the second quarter worth about $256,000. Callan Family Office LLC purchased a new stake in Aflac during the second quarter valued at approximately $2,546,000. Expressive Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Aflac in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $223,000. Laidlaw Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Aflac in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $224,000. Finally, Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Aflac in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $59,000. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Aflac news, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.10, for a total value of $74,460.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 32,710 shares in the company, valued at $4,059,311. This represents a 1.80% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.05, for a total transaction of $1,486,535.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 50,817,790 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,948,222,319.50. This trade represents a 0.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders sold 497,625 shares of company stock valued at $58,356,483. 0.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Aflac Price Performance

AFL opened at $116.12 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $121.55 and a 200 day moving average of $116.12. The stock has a market cap of $58.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.45, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 0.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Aflac Incorporated has a 52-week low of $104.66 and a 52-week 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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.76 by ($0.01). Aflac had a return on equity of 13.27% and a net margin of 26.91%.The business had revenue of $4.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.11 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.78 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.04 EPS for the current year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.61 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 19th. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.15%.

More Aflac News

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Aflac’s quarterly dividend is $0.61 per share, or $2.44 annualized, providing a yield of roughly 2.1%. The company has a long record of dividend growth and a relatively low payout ratio of about 26%, supporting its appeal as a defensive income stock.
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent earnings were mixed: quarterly revenue of $4.22 billion exceeded analyst expectations of $4.11 billion, but earnings per share of $1.75 narrowly missed the $1.76 consensus. Revenue declined 1% year over year and EPS fell from $1.78 in the prior-year quarter, limiting fundamental momentum.
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street’s overall view remains cautious, with a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target near $116.62. Some analysts remain constructive, including Piper Sandler with a $138 target, while others maintain neutral or underweight ratings.
• Negative Sentiment: Wolfe Research initiated coverage with an “underperform” rating and a $103 price target, implying meaningful downside from recent trading levels. The call adds to existing concerns from Barclays and JPMorgan, which also have cautious ratings or targets. Wolfe Research Starts Aflac at Underperform
• Negative Sentiment: Japan Post Holdings, Aflac’s major shareholder, sold another 12,700 shares on August 19 for approximately $1.49 million, following sales of 14,200 shares on August 18 and 13,900 shares on August 17. The transactions were conducted under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan and represent only a small reduction in its stake, but the repeated selling may weigh on investor sentiment. Aflac SEC Insider Filing

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AFL has been the topic of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings lowered Aflac from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $138.00 price objective (up from $130.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday, August 10th. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $110.00 price objective (up from $101.00) on shares of Aflac in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Aflac in a research note on Wednesday. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $103.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of Aflac from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $116.62.

Aflac Company Profile

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.