Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Major Shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan Sells 41,700 Shares of Stock

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 41,700 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction on Monday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.45, for a total transaction of $4,939,365.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 51,474,645 shares in the company, valued at $6,097,171,700.25. The trade was a 0.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Major shareholders that own 10% or more of a company’s stock are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

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

• On Friday, May 15th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 23,500 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.85, for a total transaction of $2,745,975.00.
• On Thursday, May 14th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 24,500 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.42, for a total transaction of $2,852,290.00.
• On Wednesday, May 13th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 24,200 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.36, for a total transaction of $2,791,712.00.
• On Tuesday, May 12th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 24,300 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.97, for a total transaction of $2,818,071.00.
• On Monday, May 11th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 24,100 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.85, for a total transaction of $2,767,885.00.
• On Thursday, April 9th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 86,155 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.24, for a total transaction of $9,756,192.20.
• On Wednesday, April 8th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 166,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.38, for a total transaction 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 transaction 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 transaction 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 transaction of $2,215,020.00.

Aflac Stock Performance

NYSE:AFL opened at $117.28 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $112.17 and its 200 day moving average price is $111.53. Aflac Incorporated has a 1-year low of $96.95 and a 1-year high of $119.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.11 and a quick ratio of 0.11. The firm has a market cap of $59.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.62.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 last year, the business earned $1.66 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 27.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.12 EPS for the current year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 20th will be given a $0.61 dividend. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 20th. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.70%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aflac

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Aflac in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC acquired a new position in Aflac in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Evergreen Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Aflac in the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Navalign LLC acquired a new position in Aflac in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Mizuho set a $104.00 price objective on shares of Aflac in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Barclays set a $99.00 target price on shares of Aflac and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Aflac from $116.00 to $114.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of Aflac from $113.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Aflac from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Two investment 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.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $111.36.

Aflac News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks said the accident and health insurance industry remains attractive, citing benefits from rising underwriting exposure and faster digitalization, which is supportive for Aflac and peers. Article: Zacks Industry Outlook Highlights Aflac, Unum, Globe Life, Trupanion and Employers
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s quarterly dividend of $0.61 per share reinforces its appeal to income investors and may help support the stock.
• Neutral Sentiment: Aflac’s latest earnings call highlighted strength in Japan, suggesting underlying business momentum even though the most recent EPS report missed expectations. Article: Aflac Earnings Call Highlights Japan Surge and Strength
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling has weighed on sentiment, including a recent $4.9 million sale by insiders and additional share sales by major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan. Article: Aflac Insiders Sell US$4.9m Of Stock, Possibly Signalling Caution
• Negative Sentiment: Director Thomas Kenny also sold shares, adding to concerns that insiders may be taking profits after the stock’s recent strength. Article: Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Director Sells $202,831.80 in Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Investors may also stay cautious because Aflac’s last reported EPS missed analyst estimates, even though revenue came in ahead of expectations.

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.