Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Major Shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan Sells 24,100 Shares

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 24,100 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.85, for a total value of $2,767,885.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 51,612,845 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,927,735,248.25. The trade was a 0.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Large shareholders that own more than 10% of a company’s shares are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Thursday, April 9th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 86,155 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.24, for a total value of $9,756,192.20.
• On Wednesday, April 8th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 166,000 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.38, for a total value of $18,655,080.00.
• On Tuesday, April 7th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 24,200 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.45, for a total value of $2,672,890.00.
• On Monday, April 6th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 21,500 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.34, for a total value of $2,372,310.00.
• On Thursday, April 2nd, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 20,100 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.20, for a total value of $2,215,020.00.
• On Wednesday, April 1st, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 19,600 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.85, for a total value of $2,153,060.00.
• On Wednesday, March 25th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 14,200 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.03, for a total value of $1,519,826.00.
• On Monday, March 23rd, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 15,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.78, for a total value of $1,601,700.00.
• On Friday, March 20th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 16,800 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.47, for a total value of $1,788,696.00.
• On Thursday, March 19th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 10,100 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.41, for a total value of $1,084,841.00.

Aflac Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of AFL stock opened at $115.39 on Thursday. Aflac Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $96.95 and a fifty-two week high of $119.32. The stock has a market cap of $58.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.10, a P/E/G ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.62. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $111.57 and a 200-day simple moving average of $111.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.66 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 27.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on AFL shares. Weiss Ratings cut Aflac from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Evercore upgraded Aflac from a “strong sell” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on Aflac from $113.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on Aflac from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Mizuho set a $104.00 price objective on Aflac in a research report on Monday, May 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Aflac presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $111.36.

Institutional Trading of Aflac

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Aflac in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Aflac in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Aflac in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Evergreen Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Aflac in the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Navalign LLC acquired a new position in shares of Aflac in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. 67.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.