Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Major Shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan Sells 11,400 Shares

Key Points

• Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan, Aflac’s major shareholder, sold 11,400 shares on May 27 at an average price of $115.50, continuing a series of recent insider sales under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan.
• Aflac shares were up 0.7% to $113.40, while the stock remains near its 50-day and 200-day moving averages and well below its 52-week high of $119.81.
• The company recently reported Q1 earnings of $1.75 per share, missing estimates, though revenue came in above expectations; Aflac also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.61 per share, yielding about 2.2%.

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 11,400 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.50, for a total transaction of $1,316,700.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 51,302,145 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,925,397,747.50. The trade was a 0.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Major shareholders that own at least 10% of a company's stock are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

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

• On Tuesday, May 26th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 18,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.03, for a total transaction of $2,106,540.00.
• On Friday, May 22nd, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 31,100 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.78, for a total transaction of $3,662,958.00.
• On Thursday, May 21st, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 30,400 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.61, for a total transaction of $3,575,344.00.
• On Wednesday, May 20th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 31,600 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.66, for a total transaction of $3,718,056.00.
• On Tuesday, May 19th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 50,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.80, for a total transaction of $5,940,000.00.
• On Monday, May 18th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 41,700 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.45, for a total transaction of $4,939,365.00.
• On Friday, May 15th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 23,500 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.85, for a total transaction of $2,745,975.00.
• On Thursday, May 14th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 24,500 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.42, for a total transaction of $2,852,290.00.
• On Wednesday, May 13th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 24,200 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.36, for a total transaction of $2,791,712.00.
• On Tuesday, May 12th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 24,300 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.97, for a total transaction of $2,818,071.00.

Aflac Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of Aflac stock traded up $0.77 on Friday, reaching $113.40. The stock had a trading volume of 408,214 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,294,948. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $112.99 and a 200 day moving average price of $111.78. The company has a quick ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. Aflac Incorporated has a 1 year low of $96.95 and a 1 year high of $119.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.62.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.80 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.20 billion. Aflac had a return on equity of 13.88% and a net margin of 25.60%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 27.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.66 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.08 EPS for the current year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.61 per share. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 20th. Aflac's payout ratio is presently 27.70%.

More Aflac News

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Aflac issued yen-denominated senior notes, a move that can improve capital flexibility and support balance-sheet management. Aflac Issues Yen-Denominated Senior Notes for Flexibility
• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts still expect modest earnings growth, with DOWLING & PARTN projecting FY2026 EPS of $7.10, slightly above the current consensus estimate. Aflac analyst data
• Neutral Sentiment: Aflac continues to support income-oriented investors with a quarterly dividend of $0.61 per share, or $2.44 annualized, implying a yield around 2.2%. Aflac dividend and stock page
• Neutral Sentiment: Major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan and EVP Steven Kent Beaver both disclosed recent stock sales, including another pre-planned sale by the large shareholder. These transactions do not change fundamentals, but they can weigh on sentiment. Aflac major shareholder sale
• Negative Sentiment: Recent quarterly results missed EPS expectations, and several analyst reports remain cautious with a consensus rating of Hold and a target near where the stock has been trading. Aflac earnings and analyst coverage

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aflac

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. DNB Asset Management AS boosted its position in shares of Aflac by 51.3% in the fourth quarter. DNB Asset Management AS now owns 168,003 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $18,526,000 after acquiring an additional 56,975 shares during the last quarter. BIP Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Aflac by 348.3% in the fourth quarter. BIP Wealth LLC now owns 55,723 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $6,145,000 after acquiring an additional 43,293 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Aflac by 10.4% in the third quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 1,731,482 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $193,407,000 after acquiring an additional 163,791 shares during the last quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. boosted its position in shares of Aflac by 126.1% in the third quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 21,345 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,384,000 after acquiring an additional 11,903 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in shares of Aflac by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,866,471 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $206,712,000 after acquiring an additional 97,766 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.44% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on AFL. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Aflac from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Aflac from $116.00 to $114.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Barclays set a $99.00 target price on shares of Aflac and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Aflac from $116.00 to $111.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Aflac from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $112.27.

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.

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