Insider Selling: Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Major Shareholder Sells $13,466,311.83 in Stock

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 113,611 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.53, for a total transaction of $13,466,311.83. Following the transaction, the insider owned 50,134,329 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,942,422,016.37. This trade represents a 0.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Major shareholders that own at least 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 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 stock was 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 value of $1,376,640.00.
• On Thursday, October 8th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were 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 value of $1,481,044.50.
• On Monday, October 5th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,000 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was 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.
• 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 value of $1,323,042.00.

Aflac Stock Performance

NYSE:AFL opened at $120.12 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $60.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.56. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $116.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $117.47. Aflac Incorporated has a twelve month low of $105.43 and a twelve month high of $130.22. The company has a current ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 0.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last posted its quarterly 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 company had revenue of $4.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.11 billion. Aflac had a net margin of 26.91% and a return on equity of 13.27%. Aflac’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.78 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 19th were given a $0.61 dividend. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 19th. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AFL has been the topic of a number of research reports. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $138.00 target price (up from $130.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Monday, August 10th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Aflac from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, August 15th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Aflac in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $103.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Aflac from $116.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Aflac from $122.00 to $116.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 12th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Aflac presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $117.20.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aflac

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Compound Planning Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 13,743 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,508,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the period. C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors increased its holdings in Aflac by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors now owns 7,013 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $784,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Aflac by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC now owns 7,650 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $897,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the period. Quadrant Capital Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Aflac by 0.6% during the third quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 17,063 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,987,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ABLE Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in Aflac by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. ABLE Financial Group LLC now owns 3,658 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $409,000 after buying an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

About Aflac

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) is an insurance company specializing in supplemental health and life insurance. Through its policies, the company helps individuals and families manage expenses that may not be fully covered by major medical insurance, including deductibles, copayments and other out-of-pocket costs.

Aflac offers products such as accident, cancer, critical illness, hospital indemnity, dental and vision, disability, life and long-term care insurance. Many of its supplemental policies provide cash benefits directly to policyholders, who can generally use the funds according to their individual needs.