Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Major Shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan Sells 19,300 Shares

Key Points

• Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 19,300 Aflac shares on March 5 at an average price of $110.96 for about $2.14 million, reducing its position by 0.04% to 52,241,500 shares valued at roughly $5.80 billion.
• Aflac missed quarterly expectations, reporting EPS of $1.57 versus $1.69 expected and revenue down 9.6% year‑over‑year; the stock trades near $110, has a market cap of $56.85 billion, and carries a consensus "Hold" rating with a $111.73 average price target.

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 19,300 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.96, for a total transaction of $2,141,528.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 52,241,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,796,716,840. This trade represents a 0.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Large shareholders that own 10% or more of a company's stock are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

Aflac Stock Performance

Aflac stock traded down $1.20 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $110.09. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,802,760 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,332,915. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $111.70 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $110.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a current ratio of 0.11. Aflac Incorporated has a 12-month low of $96.95 and a 12-month high of $119.32. The company has a market capitalization of $56.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.00, a PEG ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.66.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $1.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.69 by ($0.12). The company had revenue of $4.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.45 billion. Aflac had a return on equity of 14.35% and a net margin of 21.24%.The company's revenue was down 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.57 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on AFL shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Aflac from $109.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Raymond James Financial reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $119.00 price target (up from $110.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Tuesday, December 30th. Mizuho set a $107.00 price target on shares of Aflac in a report on Monday, February 9th. Morgan Stanley set a $120.00 price objective on Aflac in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Barclays set a $101.00 price target on Aflac and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $111.73.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aflac

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of AFL. True Wealth Design LLC grew its holdings in shares of Aflac by 188.5% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 225 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new stake in Aflac during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Navalign LLC purchased a new stake in Aflac during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Aflac in the 2nd quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Activest Wealth Management increased its position in shares of Aflac by 95.6% in the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 311 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares during the period. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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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