Arthur Reginald Collins Sells 2,300 Shares of Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Stock

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) Director Arthur Reginald Collins sold 2,300 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.55, for a total transaction of $268,065.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 6,186 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $720,978.30. The trade was a 27.10% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Aflac Stock Performance

AFL traded up $0.44 on Friday, reaching $116.83. The stock had a trading volume of 1,908,483 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,311,501. Aflac Incorporated has a 12-month low of $96.95 and a 12-month high of $119.32. The company has a current ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $111.65 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $111.22. The company has a market cap of $59.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.62.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by ($0.05). Aflac had a net margin of 25.60% and a return on equity of 13.88%. The firm had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.20 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.66 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 27.9% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Aflac Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 20th will be given a $0.61 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 20th. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on AFL shares. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Aflac from $116.00 to $111.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Aflac from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on shares of Aflac from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Aflac from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of Aflac from $113.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $111.36.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aflac

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AFL. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Aflac by 13.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 57,142,072 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,301,056,000 after acquiring an additional 6,759,169 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Aflac during the fourth quarter worth about $420,078,000. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in Aflac by 161.9% during the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,184,801 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $349,405,000 after acquiring an additional 1,968,738 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Aflac by 1,184.5% during the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,264,090 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $141,199,000 after acquiring an additional 1,165,676 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP boosted its position in Aflac by 390.7% during the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,111,711 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $122,588,000 after acquiring an additional 885,141 shares during the last quarter. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Aflac

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Aflac issued $500 million of 5.150% senior notes due 2036, which should add balance-sheet flexibility and support liquidity for the insurer’s capital management plans. Aflac Issues $500 Million 2036 Senior Notes Offering
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary highlighted strong sales growth in Japan and the U.S., improving Japan margins, and a lower benefit ratio, all of which support Aflac’s earnings durability. Here’s Why You Should Keep Holding Aflac in Your Portfolio
• Neutral Sentiment: The latest quarter was mixed, with revenue beating estimates but earnings per share missing consensus, leaving investors focused on whether growth can offset margin pressure.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several recent articles questioned Aflac’s valuation and risk profile after softer Japan margins and the earnings miss, but these pieces mainly reinforced existing concerns rather than introducing a new catalyst.
• Negative Sentiment: Major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan disclosed another small sale of Aflac shares under a pre-arranged 10b5-1 plan, adding to a recent pattern of insider selling that can weigh on sentiment. Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Major Shareholder Sells $2,767,885.00 in Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Director Arthur Reginald Collins also sold shares recently, which may add a modest headwind to investor sentiment around the stock. SEC insider filing for Arthur Reginald Collins sale

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.