Insider Selling: Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Major Shareholder Sells $1,487,616.00 in Stock

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,800 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.22, for a total transaction of $1,487,616.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 50,531,490 shares in the company, valued at $5,872,769,767.80. This represents a 0.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through 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 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, September 17th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,900 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.58, for a total transaction of $1,503,882.00.
• On Wednesday, September 16th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,800 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.49, for a total value of $1,621,362.00.
• On Monday, September 14th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,600 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.74, for a total value of $1,587,664.00.
• On Friday, September 11th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 14,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.14, for a total value of $1,611,960.00.
• On Thursday, September 10th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,300 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.32, for a total value of $1,520,456.00.
• On Tuesday, September 8th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,600 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.44, for a total transaction of $1,569,984.00.
• On Friday, September 4th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 15,000 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.47, for a total transaction of $1,762,050.00.
• On Thursday, September 3rd, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 20,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.49, for a total transaction of $2,369,800.00.
• On Wednesday, September 2nd, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,500 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.19, for a total value of $1,582,065.00.
• On Tuesday, September 1st, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,800 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.77, for a total value of $1,481,856.00.

Aflac Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AFL traded down $0.56 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $114.62. The stock had a trading volume of 1,992,517 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,340,660. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.12 and a current ratio of 0.12. The stock has a market cap of $57.46 billion, a PE ratio of 12.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.59. Aflac Incorporated has a one year low of $105.43 and a one year high of $130.22. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $120.46 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $116.50.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $4.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.11 billion. Aflac had a return on equity of 13.27% and a net margin of 26.91%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.78 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 19th were given a $0.61 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 19th. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.15%.

Aflac News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Aflac partnered with fashion designer Rachel Zoe on a jacket featuring a scannable checked pattern to encourage Americans to pursue cancer screenings. The campaign reinforces Aflac’s brand and leadership in supplemental cancer insurance, although it is unlikely to materially affect near-term earnings. Aflac and Rachel Zoe Cancer Screening Campaign
• Neutral Sentiment: Japan Post Holdings, Aflac’s major shareholder, sold 12,900 shares for approximately $1.5 million but still retained more than 50.5 million shares. The transaction represented only a 0.03% reduction and was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, reducing its significance as a signal about management’s outlook. Aflac Major Shareholder Sale
• Negative Sentiment: Additional sales by Japan Post Holdings and a company director—each worth roughly $1.5 million to $1.6 million—could create a short-term supply and confidence overhang, even though some transactions were conducted through scheduled trading plans. Aflac Major Shareholder Insider Sale Aflac Director Stock Sale
• Negative Sentiment: Aflac’s latest quarterly earnings slightly missed analyst expectations, with EPS of $1.75 versus $1.76 expected. Revenue beat forecasts at $4.22 billion but declined 1% year over year, while EPS fell from $1.78 in the prior-year quarter. The mixed performance has outweighed support from Aflac’s dividend and relatively modest valuation. Aflac Earnings Miss Offsets Revenue Beat

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on Aflac from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $138.00 price target (up from $130.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday, August 10th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $124.00 price target (up from $114.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $108.00 target price (up from $100.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $99.00 price target (up from $98.00) on shares of Aflac in a research report on Friday, August 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $116.62.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aflac

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AFL. Andra AP fonden raised its position in shares of Aflac by 1.6% during the second quarter. Andra AP fonden now owns 38,700 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,538,000 after purchasing an additional 626 shares during the period. Security National Bank of Sioux City Iowa IA boosted its position in shares of Aflac by 24.4% in the 2nd quarter. Security National Bank of Sioux City Iowa IA now owns 39,570 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,640,000 after purchasing an additional 7,752 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC increased its stake in Aflac by 137.4% in the 2nd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 40,904 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,796,000 after purchasing an additional 23,677 shares in the last quarter. MCF Advisors LLC increased its stake in Aflac by 45.0% in the 2nd quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 377 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cidel Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Aflac by 2.5% during the 2nd quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,950 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $580,000 after buying an additional 122 shares during the period. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Aflac

Aflac Incorporated is an insurance company that provides supplemental health and life insurance products. Its coverage is designed to help policyholders manage expenses that may not be fully covered by major medical insurance, including costs associated with accidents, illness, hospitalization, disability and critical illness.

Through its U.S. operations, Aflac markets policies to individuals, businesses and employees through workplace benefit programs, independent agents and brokers. The company is also a major provider of supplemental insurance in Japan, where it offers products focused primarily on cancer, medical and income-support coverage.

Founded in 1955 in Columbus, Georgia, as American Family Life Assurance Company, the business adopted the name Aflac in 1990.