Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Major Shareholder Sells $2,818,071.00 in Stock

Key Points

• Aflac major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 24,300 shares on May 12 at an average price of $115.97, totaling about $2.82 million. The sale was made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.
• The shareholder has been actively trimming its Aflac stake with multiple sales in recent weeks, including several large transactions in March and April. After the latest sale, it still owned more than 51.6 million shares, representing only a small reduction in ownership.
• Aflac reported mixed quarterly results, missing EPS estimates at $1.75 versus $1.80 expected, though revenue came in slightly above forecasts at $4.24 billion. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.61 per share, yielding about 2.1% annually.

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 24,300 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.97, for a total value of $2,818,071.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 51,588,545 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,982,723,563.65. This represents a 0.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Major shareholders that own 10% or more of a company's stock 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, May 11th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 24,100 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.85, for a total transaction of $2,767,885.00.
• On Thursday, April 9th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 86,155 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.24, for a total transaction of $9,756,192.20.
• On Wednesday, April 8th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 166,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.38, for a total value of $18,655,080.00.
• On Tuesday, April 7th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 24,200 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.45, for a total value of $2,672,890.00.
• On Monday, April 6th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 21,500 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.34, for a total transaction of $2,372,310.00.
• On Thursday, April 2nd, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 20,100 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.20, for a total transaction of $2,215,020.00.
• On Wednesday, April 1st, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 19,600 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.85, for a total transaction of $2,153,060.00.
• On Wednesday, March 25th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 14,200 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.03, for a total value of $1,519,826.00.
• On Monday, March 23rd, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 15,000 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.78, for a total value of $1,601,700.00.
• On Friday, March 20th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 16,800 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.47, for a total transaction of $1,788,696.00.

Aflac Stock Performance

Shares of AFL traded up $0.98 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $116.46. 308,241 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,299,049. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $111.57 and its 200 day simple moving average is $111.15. The company has a market cap of $59.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.22, a PEG ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.62. Aflac Incorporated has a twelve month low of $96.95 and a twelve month high of $119.32. 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 (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.66 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 27.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Aflac Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 20th will be paid a $0.61 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 20th. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. Aflac's payout ratio is 27.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Aflac from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Evercore raised Aflac from a "strong sell" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Aflac from $113.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Aflac from $116.00 to $111.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Aflac from $116.00 to $114.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Aflac presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $111.36.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aflac

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Stephens Inc. AR grew its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co lifted its stake in Aflac by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 19,088 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,105,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC raised its holdings in shares of Aflac by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 7,702 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $902,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the period. Finally, Confluence Wealth Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of Aflac by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. now owns 11,923 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,315,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. 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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