MW Advisory LLC Purchases Shares of 7,192 Aflac Incorporated $AFL

MW Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 7,192 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $843,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Markowski Investments acquired a new stake in Aflac during the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. Plan A Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Aflac by 3.4% in the second 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. SMART Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Aflac during the second quarter worth about $281,000. Syon Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Aflac by 3.3% during the second quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 19,774 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,318,000 after purchasing an additional 637 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Aflac by 1.3% during the second quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 69,734 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $8,176,000 after purchasing an additional 914 shares in the last quarter. 67.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Aflac Stock Performance

Shares of AFL stock opened at $117.09 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $121.49 and its 200 day moving average price is $116.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 0.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.70 billion, a PE ratio of 12.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.59. Aflac Incorporated has a 52-week low of $104.66 and a 52-week high of $130.22.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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). The company had revenue of $4.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.11 billion. Aflac had a return on equity of 13.27% and a net margin of 26.91%.The firm’s revenue was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.78 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.04 EPS for the current year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $124.00 target price (up from $114.00) on shares of Aflac in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Mizuho set a $116.00 price objective on Aflac in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $138.00 price objective (up from $130.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Monday, August 10th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $122.00 target price on shares of Aflac and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Aflac from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $116.62.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 53,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.74, for a total value of $6,240,220.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 51,014,735 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,006,474,898.90. This trade represents a 0.10% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 481,915 shares of company stock worth $56,604,185. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Aflac News Summary

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

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.