Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Major Shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan Sells 13,000 Shares of Company Stock

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.89, for a total value of $1,649,570.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 50,121,329 shares in the company, valued at $6,359,895,436.81. This represents a 0.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Large shareholders that own at least 10% 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 Thursday, October 15th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 113,611 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.53, for a total value of $13,466,311.83.
• On Wednesday, October 14th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 55,000 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.79, for a total value of $6,478,450.00.
• On Tuesday, October 13th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 42,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.38, for a total value of $4,887,960.00.
• On Monday, October 12th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,200 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.85, for a total transaction of $1,413,370.00.
• On Friday, October 9th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.72, for a total transaction 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 stock was sold at an average price of $112.80, for a total transaction of $1,353,600.00.
• On Tuesday, October 6th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,050 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.49, for a total transaction 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 shares were sold at an average price of $111.30, for a total transaction of $1,469,160.00.

Aflac Stock Performance

Shares of AFL stock opened at $127.01 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $62.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.51, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a current ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $118.10 and its 200 day moving average is $116.48. Aflac Incorporated has a 12 month low of $105.76 and a 12 month high of $131.18.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.43 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.63. Aflac had a net margin of 21.24% and a return on equity of 12.82%. The company had revenue of $4.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.12 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.49 EPS. Aflac’s revenue for the quarter was down 31.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 18th will be given a dividend of $0.61 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 18th. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.57%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Piper Sandler raised their price target on Aflac from $138.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $125.00 price objective (up from $124.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Aflac from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, August 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on Aflac from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 9th. Finally, TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating and issued a $110.00 target price (up from $101.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $118.73.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. bought a new stake in Aflac during the second quarter worth about $6,630,000. Atlas Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Aflac during the 1st quarter valued at about $1,802,000. Callan Family Office LLC bought a new position in shares of Aflac during the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,546,000. Tidal Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of Aflac by 137.4% during the 2nd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 40,904 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,796,000 after buying an additional 23,677 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp raised its holdings in shares of Aflac by 135.5% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 142,180 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $15,599,000 after buying an additional 81,803 shares in the last quarter. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Aflac

Aflac Incorporated is an insurance company that provides supplemental health and life insurance to individuals and businesses. Its products are designed to help customers manage expenses that may not be covered by major medical insurance, including costs associated with accidents, cancer, critical illness and hospital stays. The company operates primarily in the United States and Japan. In the U.S., Aflac offers workplace benefits such as accident, disability, dental, vision and life insurance. In Japan, it provides products including cancer, medical and life insurance.