Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Major Shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan Sells 19,100 Shares

Key Points

• Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold shares: The major shareholder sold 19,300 on March 5 and 19,100 on March 6 (38,400 total), raising roughly $4.26M and trimming its stake by 0.04% to 52,222,400 shares (valued at about $5.78B).
• Aflac missed quarterly expectations, reporting $1.57 EPS versus $1.69 expected and revenue of $4.28B (down 9.6% year-over-year), while analysts’ consensus rating is Hold with a $111.73 price target.
• The stock trades near $110.80, with a market cap of about $57.2B, a P/E of 16.07, and a 1‑year range of $96.95 to $119.32.

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 19,100 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.77, for a total transaction of $2,115,707.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 52,222,400 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,784,675,248. This trade represents a 0.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Large 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 Thursday, March 5th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 19,300 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.96, for a total value of $2,141,528.00.

Aflac Price Performance

NYSE AFL traded up $0.62 on Tuesday, hitting $110.80. 390,649 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,289,468. Aflac Incorporated has a 1-year low of $96.95 and a 1-year high of $119.32. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $111.70 and a two-hundred day moving average of $110.28. The company has a current ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The company has a market cap of $57.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.07, a P/E/G ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.66.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $1.57 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.69 by ($0.12). Aflac had a net margin of 21.24% and a return on equity of 14.35%. The company had revenue of $4.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.45 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.57 EPS. The company's revenue was down 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on AFL shares. Barclays set a $101.00 price target on Aflac and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Wall Street Zen cut Aflac from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, February 28th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $119.00 price target (up from $110.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Tuesday, December 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Aflac from $109.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $111.73.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aflac

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in Aflac by 64.4% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 14,570 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,507,000 after purchasing an additional 5,708 shares in the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Aflac by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 4,402 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $455,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Aflac by 5.4% in the second quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 18,137 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,913,000 after buying an additional 930 shares in the last quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Aflac by 9.3% in the second quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC now owns 2,716 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $286,000 after buying an additional 230 shares during the period. Finally, RWA Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Aflac by 3.2% in the second quarter. RWA Wealth Partners LLC now owns 12,512 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,319,000 after buying an additional 393 shares during the period. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Aflac Company Profile

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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