238,478 Shares in Aflac Incorporated $AFL Acquired by Korea Investment CORP

Korea Investment CORP bought a new position in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 238,478 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $27,962,000.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Aflac during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Groupe la Francaise acquired a new position in Aflac in the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. acquired a new position in Aflac in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Aflac during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Finally, Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Aflac during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AFL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Aflac from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Barclays restated an “underweight” rating and issued a $99.00 price target (up from $98.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Friday, August 7th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $122.00 price target on shares of Aflac and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Aflac from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $116.62.

Aflac Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AFL opened at $116.12 on Friday. 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 twelve month low of $104.66 and a twelve month high of $130.22. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $121.55 and its 200-day moving average is $116.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $58.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.45, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.60.

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

Aflac Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In related 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 sale, the director owned 32,710 shares in the company, valued at $4,059,311. This represents a 1.80% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 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 dated Wednesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.05, for a total transaction of $1,486,535.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 50,817,790 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,948,222,319.50. The trade was a 0.02% decrease in their position. 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 have sold 497,625 shares of company stock valued at $58,356,483. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Aflac

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

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.