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

Key Points

• Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,000 Aflac shares at an average price of $121.09, generating $1.57 million. The pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 transaction reduced its ownership by 0.03%, leaving it with roughly 50.9 million shares valued at $6.16 billion.
• Aflac reported quarterly EPS of $1.75, slightly below the $1.76 analyst consensus, while revenue of $4.22 billion exceeded expectations. Revenue declined 1% year over year, and analysts project full-year EPS of $7.04.
• Aflac announced a quarterly dividend of $0.61 per share, equivalent to $2.44 annually and a 2.0% yield. The stock had a consensus “Hold” rating and a $117.58 analyst price target, compared with a recent price of $121.77.

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.09, for a total transaction of $1,574,170.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 50,872,690 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,160,174,032.10. This trade represents a 0.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Large shareholders that own more than 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 Monday, June 22nd, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 27,845 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.71, for a total transaction of $3,249,789.95.
• On Thursday, June 18th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 3,300 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.92, for a total transaction of $385,836.00.
• On Wednesday, June 17th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 26,300 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.62, for a total transaction of $3,067,106.00.
• On Tuesday, June 16th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 30,000 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.39, for a total transaction of $3,521,700.00.
• On Monday, June 15th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 28,800 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.17, for a total transaction of $3,374,496.00.
• On Friday, June 12th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 53,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.74, for a total transaction of $6,240,220.00.
• On Thursday, June 11th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 48,500 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.20, for a total value of $5,684,200.00.
• On Wednesday, June 10th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 26,500 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.00, for a total value of $3,100,500.00.
• On Tuesday, June 9th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,800 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.43, for a total value of $1,477,504.00.
• On Monday, June 8th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,900 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.05, for a total value of $1,613,095.00.

Aflac Price Performance

AFL traded up $0.32 during trading on Monday, reaching $121.77. 218,544 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,336,358. The company's 50-day moving average is $121.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $115.86. The company has a market cap of $61.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.60. 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 12-month low of $104.66 and a 12-month high of $130.22.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.76 by ($0.01). Aflac had a net margin of 26.91% and a return on equity of 13.27%. The company had revenue of $4.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.11 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.78 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 19th will be paid a $0.61 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 19th. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. Aflac's dividend payout ratio is currently 26.15%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aflac

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AFL. Stephens Inc. AR lifted its position in shares of Aflac by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 21,945 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,420,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Compound Planning Inc. grew its holdings in Aflac by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 13,743 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,508,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC grew its holdings in Aflac by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 2,119 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $234,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co increased its position in Aflac by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 19,088 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,105,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the period. Finally, HBK Sorce Advisory LLC increased its position in Aflac by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 7,702 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $902,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.44% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on AFL shares. TD Cowen restated a "hold" rating and set a $110.00 price target (up from $101.00) on shares of Aflac in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Aflac from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Aflac from $111.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Weiss Ratings cut Aflac from a "buy (a-)" rating to a "buy (b+)" rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $108.00 price target (up from $100.00) on shares of Aflac in a research report on Friday, July 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $117.58.

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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