Raiffeisen Bank International AG Decreases Position in Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Raiffeisen Bank International AG cut its holdings in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 28.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 12,012 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 4,846 shares during the quarter. Raiffeisen Bank International AG’s holdings in Aflac were worth $1,442,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Aflac during the 2nd quarter worth $4,093,787,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 27.8% during the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 5,201,217 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $609,843,000 after acquiring an additional 1,132,091 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Aflac by 1.5% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,550,855 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $499,216,000 after acquiring an additional 67,650 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac during the 4th quarter valued at $420,078,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in Aflac in the second quarter valued at $404,639,000. 67.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Aflac

In other news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,500 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 in the company, valued at $5,940,090,391.10. This represents a 0.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders sold 481,915 shares of company stock valued at $56,604,185. Insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on AFL shares. Mizuho set a $116.00 price target on Aflac in a report on Monday, August 10th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $122.00 price target on shares of Aflac and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target 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. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Aflac from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Barclays reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $99.00 price objective (up from $98.00) on shares of Aflac in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $116.62.

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 Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of NYSE:AFL opened at $117.09 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.12 and a current ratio of 0.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.55, a PEG ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $121.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $116.27. Aflac Incorporated has a 1-year low of $104.66 and a 1-year high of $130.22.

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

Aflac Announces Dividend

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

Aflac 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.