Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Major Shareholder Sells 14,100 Shares of Stock

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 14,100 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.43, for a total transaction of $1,712,163.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 50,858,590 shares in the company, valued at $6,175,758,583.70. This represents a 0.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 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, August 13th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.09, for a total transaction of $1,574,170.00.
• On Monday, June 22nd, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 27,845 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.71, for a total transaction of $3,249,789.95.
• On Thursday, June 18th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 3,300 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.92, for a total value of $385,836.00.
• On Wednesday, June 17th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 26,300 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.62, for a total value of $3,067,106.00.
• On Tuesday, June 16th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 30,000 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.39, for a total value of $3,521,700.00.
• On Monday, June 15th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 28,800 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.17, for a total value of $3,374,496.00.
• On Friday, June 12th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 53,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.74, for a total value of $6,240,220.00.
• On Thursday, June 11th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 48,500 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.20, for a total value of $5,684,200.00.
• On Wednesday, June 10th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 26,500 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.00, for a total value of $3,100,500.00.
• On Tuesday, June 9th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,800 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.43, for a total value of $1,477,504.00.

Aflac Stock Performance

NYSE AFL traded up $1.46 on Tuesday, reaching $122.44. The stock had a trading volume of 418,236 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,331,457. The stock has a market cap of $61.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.60. Aflac Incorporated has a 12-month low of $104.66 and a 12-month high of $130.22. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $121.47 and its 200 day moving average price is $115.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.12 and a current ratio of 0.12.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last announced its 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). The business had revenue of $4.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.11 billion. Aflac had a return on equity of 13.27% and a net margin of 26.91%.The business’s revenue was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.78 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Aflac Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.61 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 19th. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AFL has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Aflac from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday. Mizuho set a $116.00 target price on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Weiss Ratings lowered Aflac from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and issued a $108.00 price target (up from $100.00) on shares of Aflac in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $110.00 price objective (up from $101.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $117.58.

Institutional Trading of Aflac

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac during the 2nd quarter worth $6,110,000. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac in the second quarter valued at approximately $3,581,000. Camarda Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Aflac during the second quarter worth $236,000. Dearborn Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac in the second quarter valued at $230,000. Finally, WNY Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac during the second quarter valued at $360,000. 67.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.