Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Major Shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan Sells 12,900 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,900 Aflac shares for approximately $1.50 million at an average price of $116.58, reducing its stake by 0.03% to 50.54 million shares. The transaction was conducted under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.
• Aflac shares fell 0.4% to $115.84, while the company’s latest quarterly earnings of $1.75 per share narrowly missed estimates. Revenue reached $4.22 billion, up from analysts’ forecast of $4.11 billion, despite a 1% year-over-year decline.
• Aflac maintains a quarterly dividend of $0.61, equivalent to a 2.1% yield, while analysts’ consensus rating is Hold with an average price target of $116.62.

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,900 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.58, for a total value of $1,503,882.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 50,544,290 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,892,453,328.20. This represents a 0.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Large shareholders that own more than 10% of a company's shares are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, September 16th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,800 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.49, for a total value of $1,621,362.00.
• On Monday, September 14th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,600 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.74, for a total value of $1,587,664.00.
• On Friday, September 11th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 14,000 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.14, for a total value of $1,611,960.00.
• On Thursday, September 10th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,300 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.32, for a total value of $1,520,456.00.
• On Tuesday, September 8th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,600 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.44, for a total transaction of $1,569,984.00.
• On Friday, September 4th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 15,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.47, for a total transaction of $1,762,050.00.
• On Thursday, September 3rd, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 20,000 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.49, for a total transaction of $2,369,800.00.
• On Wednesday, September 2nd, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,500 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.19, for a total value of $1,582,065.00.
• On Tuesday, September 1st, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,800 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.77, for a total value of $1,481,856.00.
• On Monday, August 31st, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,700 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.00, for a total value of $1,473,200.00.

Aflac Stock Down 0.4%

NYSE:AFL traded down $0.49 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $115.84. The stock had a trading volume of 216,583 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,333,105. The company has a market cap of $58.08 billion, a PE ratio of 12.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.59. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $120.62 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $116.48. Aflac Incorporated has a 1-year low of $105.43 and a 1-year high of $130.22. The company has a current ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 0.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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). The firm had revenue of $4.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.11 billion. Aflac had a net margin of 26.91% and a return on equity of 13.27%. Aflac's revenue for the quarter was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.78 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.04 EPS for the current year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 19th were paid a $0.61 dividend. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 19th. Aflac's dividend payout ratio is 26.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on AFL. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Aflac in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. They set an "underperform" rating and a $103.00 price objective on the stock. Mizuho set a $116.00 price objective on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Barclays reissued an "underweight" rating and issued a $99.00 target price (up from $98.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Friday, August 7th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $108.00 target price (up from $100.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on Aflac from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $116.62.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aflac

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in Aflac in the 2nd quarter valued at about $4,093,787,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in Aflac during the 4th quarter valued at $420,078,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in shares of Aflac in the 2nd quarter worth $404,639,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in shares of Aflac in the 2nd quarter worth $298,418,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac in the second quarter valued at $244,516,000. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Aflac Company Profile

Aflac Incorporated is an insurance company that provides supplemental health and life insurance products. Its coverage is designed to help policyholders manage expenses that may not be fully covered by major medical insurance, including costs associated with accidents, illness, hospitalization, disability and critical illness.

Through its U.S. operations, Aflac markets policies to individuals, businesses and employees through workplace benefit programs, independent agents and brokers. The company is also a major provider of supplemental insurance in Japan, where it offers products focused primarily on cancer, medical and income-support coverage.

Founded in 1955 in Columbus, Georgia, as American Family Life Assurance Company, the business adopted the name Aflac in 1990.

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