Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Major Shareholder Sells $1,477,504.00 in Stock

Key Points

• Aflac major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,800 shares on June 9 at an average price of $115.43, totaling about $1.48 million. The sale was made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan, and the investor still held more than 51.1 million shares afterward.
• Post Holdings has been steadily trimming its Aflac stake with a string of recent sales in early June and late May, including a larger 63,000-share sale on June 5. These transactions reduced its position only slightly overall.
• Aflac’s fundamentals remain solid despite mixed signals: the company recently reported earnings that missed EPS estimates but beat revenue expectations, and it also paid a quarterly dividend of $0.61 per share. Analyst sentiment is currently cautious, with a consensus rating of “Hold” and a target price of $112.27.

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,800 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.43, for a total value of $1,477,504.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 51,142,735 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,903,405,901.05. The trade was a 0.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Major shareholders that own 10% or more 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 Monday, June 8th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,900 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.05, for a total value of $1,613,095.00.
• On Friday, June 5th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 63,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.12, for a total value of $7,441,560.00.
• On Wednesday, June 3rd, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 16,300 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.19, for a total transaction of $1,877,597.00.
• On Tuesday, June 2nd, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 9,750 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.39, for a total transaction of $1,105,552.50.
• On Monday, June 1st, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 9,060 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.53, for a total transaction of $1,019,521.80.
• On Friday, May 29th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 9,200 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.75, for a total value of $1,037,300.00.
• On Thursday, May 28th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 9,100 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.22, for a total value of $1,030,302.00.
• On Wednesday, May 27th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 11,400 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.50, for a total value of $1,316,700.00.
• 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 value of $2,106,540.00.
• On Friday, May 22nd, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 31,100 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.78, for a total value of $3,662,958.00.

Aflac Stock Performance

NYSE AFL opened at $117.03 on Thursday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $114.39 and its 200 day moving average price is $111.91. The company has a current ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. Aflac Incorporated has a twelve month low of $96.95 and a twelve month high of $119.81. The company has a market capitalization of $59.56 billion, a PE ratio of 13.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.61.

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

Aflac Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 20th were given a $0.61 dividend. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 20th. Aflac's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AFL has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $130.00 price objective (up from $125.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of Aflac from $113.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Aflac from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. UBS Group decreased their price objective 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Aflac from $116.00 to $111.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Aflac currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $112.27.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aflac

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AFL. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Aflac in the first quarter worth about $25,000. Groupe la Francaise bought a new position in Aflac during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Aflac in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Aflac in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Evergreen Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Aflac in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.44% of the company's stock.

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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