Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Major Shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan Sells 42,000 Shares of Company Stock

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 42,000 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.38, for a total transaction of $4,887,960.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 50,302,940 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,854,256,157.20. The trade was a 0.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Major shareholders that own more than 10% of a company’s shares are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

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

• On Monday, October 12th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,200 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.85, for a total value of $1,413,370.00.
• On Friday, October 9th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,000 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.72, for a total value of $1,376,640.00.
• On Thursday, October 8th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,000 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.45, for a total transaction of $1,487,850.00.
• On Wednesday, October 7th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.80, for a total value of $1,353,600.00.
• On Tuesday, October 6th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,050 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.49, for a total value of $1,481,044.50.
• On Monday, October 5th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.25, for a total transaction of $1,459,250.00.
• On Friday, October 2nd, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,200 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.30, for a total value of $1,469,160.00.
• On Thursday, October 1st, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 11,900 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.18, for a total transaction of $1,323,042.00.
• On Tuesday, September 29th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,100 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.36, for a total transaction of $1,371,656.00.
• On Monday, September 28th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.63, for a total transaction of $1,363,560.00.

Aflac Stock Performance

AFL traded up $0.57 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $118.78. The company had a trading volume of 295,822 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,275,521. The business has a 50-day moving average of $116.63 and a two-hundred day moving average of $117.10. The company has a market cap of $59.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.56. 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 1 year low of $105.43 and a 1 year high of $130.22.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. Aflac’s revenue was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.78 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict 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. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 19th were issued a $0.61 dividend. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 19th. Aflac’s payout ratio is 26.15%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on AFL shares. Raymond James Financial increased their price objective on shares of Aflac from $119.00 to $123.00 in a report on Wednesday, August 26th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Aflac from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, August 10th. Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $101.00 price objective (up from $99.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $125.00 price target (up from $124.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on shares of Aflac from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $117.00.

Institutional Trading of Aflac

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. bought a new stake in Aflac during the 2nd quarter valued at about $6,630,000. Atlas Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Aflac in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,802,000. Callan Family Office LLC purchased a new stake in Aflac in the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,546,000. Tidal Investments LLC grew 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 acquiring an additional 23,677 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp grew its stake in Aflac by 135.5% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 142,180 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $15,599,000 after acquiring an additional 81,803 shares in the last quarter. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Aflac

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AM Best affirmed Aflac’s credit ratings and those of its subsidiaries, supporting confidence in the insurer’s balance sheet, claims-paying ability and financial stability. AM Best Affirms Aflac Credit Ratings
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America maintained a Buy rating while reducing its price target from $137 to $133. Although the target was lowered, it remains above recent trading levels and indicates continued expected upside. Bank of America Cuts Aflac Price Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Japan Post Holdings, Aflac’s major shareholder, reported additional sales of 12,000 shares on October 9 and 12,200 shares on October 12. The transactions were executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan and reduced its ownership by only about 0.02% per trade, limiting the immediate impact, though the repeated selling may concern investors. Japan Post Holdings Aflac Share Sale
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo lowered its Aflac price target from $122 to $116 while retaining an Equal Weight rating, signaling limited near-term upside at recent levels. Wells Fargo Cuts Aflac Price Target

Aflac Company Profile

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE: AFL) is an insurance company that provides supplemental health and life insurance products to individuals, employers and groups. Its coverage is designed to help policyholders manage expenses that may not be fully covered by major medical insurance, including costs associated with illness, injury and other qualifying events.

The company’s products include accident, cancer, critical illness, hospital indemnity, disability, dental, vision and life insurance. Aflac distributes its policies through workplace benefits programs, independent agents, brokers and other distribution channels.

Founded in 1955 as American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus, Aflac has its headquarters in Columbus, Georgia.