Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac Takes $1.68 Million Position in Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm acquired 15,201 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,684,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Navalign LLC purchased a new position in shares of Aflac during the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Aflac during the second quarter valued at about $33,000. Activest Wealth Management grew its position in Aflac by 95.6% in the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 311 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Aflac by 100.0% in the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 324 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Park Square Financial Group LLC grew its position in Aflac by 80.6% in the fourth quarter. Park Square Financial Group LLC now owns 354 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 158 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Aflac news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 166,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.38, for a total transaction of $18,655,080.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 51,723,100 shares in the company, valued at $5,812,641,978. The trade was a 0.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 910,436 shares of company stock worth $103,126,371 in the last ninety days. 0.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Aflac News

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Aflac issued yen-denominated senior notes, which should improve financial flexibility and support capital management. Aflac Issues Yen-Denominated Senior Notes for Flexibility
• Positive Sentiment: Recent analyst estimates remain slightly above current consensus, with DOWLING & PARTN projecting modest earnings growth into FY2027 and FY2028, suggesting longer-term earnings momentum. Aflac analyst estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Several insider sales by Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan were disclosed, but they were pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 transactions and represent only small reductions in ownership. Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan Sells 31,100 Shares of Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: EVP Steven Kent Beaver also sold shares in a disclosed transaction, which may weigh on sentiment but does not appear to signal a fundamental change. Steven Kent Beaver Sells 5,508 Shares of Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Aflac’s last quarterly report missed EPS expectations, and some analysts have trimmed or only maintained cautious ratings, limiting upside enthusiasm. Aflac earnings and analyst coverage

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AFL has been the subject of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded Aflac from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Barclays set a $99.00 price target on Aflac and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $130.00 price target (up from $125.00) on shares of Aflac in a research report on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen upgraded Aflac from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on Aflac from $113.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $112.27.

Aflac Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:AFL opened at $112.37 on Friday. Aflac Incorporated has a 1 year low of $96.95 and a 1 year high of $119.81. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $113.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $111.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.20 billion, a PE ratio of 12.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.11 and a quick ratio of 0.11.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.80 by ($0.05). Aflac had a net margin of 25.60% and a return on equity of 13.88%. The business had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.66 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 27.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.08 EPS for the current year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 20th will be given a dividend of $0.61 per share. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 20th. Aflac’s payout ratio is 27.70%.

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.