Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Major Shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan Sells 13,200 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,200 Aflac shares at an average price of $111.30, generating $1.47 million. The Rule 10b5-1 transaction reduced its stake by 0.03%, leaving it with approximately 50.42 million shares.
• Aflac shares rose 1.0% to $113.54, while the company reported $1.75 in quarterly EPS—slightly below estimates—but revenue of $4.22 billion exceeded expectations.
• Aflac maintains a quarterly dividend of $0.61, equivalent to $2.44 annually and a 2.1% yield. Analysts’ consensus rating is “Hold,” with an average price target of $116.69.

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,200 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.30, for a total value of $1,469,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 50,420,190 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,611,767,147. The trade was a 0.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at 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 stock are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

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

• On Thursday, October 1st, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 11,900 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.18, for a total value of $1,323,042.00.
• On Tuesday, September 29th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,100 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.36, for a total transaction of $1,371,656.00.
• On Monday, September 28th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.63, for a total transaction of $1,363,560.00.
• On Thursday, September 24th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,100 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.64, for a total transaction of $1,387,144.00.
• On Wednesday, September 23rd, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,500 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.20, for a total transaction of $1,555,200.00.
• On Monday, September 21st, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,200 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.49, for a total value of $1,408,978.00.
• On Friday, September 18th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,800 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.22, for a total value of $1,487,616.00.
• On Thursday, September 17th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,900 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.58, for a total value of $1,503,882.00.
• On Wednesday, September 16th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,800 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.49, for a total transaction of $1,621,362.00.
• On Monday, September 14th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,600 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.74, for a total transaction of $1,587,664.00.

Aflac Stock Up 1.0%

AFL stock traded up $1.16 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $113.54. The company's stock had a trading volume of 215,272 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,298,695. The company's fifty day moving average price is $118.32 and its 200 day moving average price is $116.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.12 and a quick ratio of 0.12. Aflac Incorporated has a twelve month low of $105.43 and a twelve month high of $130.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $56.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.17, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.56.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.76 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $4.22 billion during 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 was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.78 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.04 EPS for the current year.

Aflac Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Trading of Aflac

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Aflac in the second quarter worth about $4,093,787,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 27.8% during the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 5,201,217 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $609,843,000 after acquiring an additional 1,132,091 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Aflac by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,550,855 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $499,216,000 after acquiring an additional 67,650 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in Aflac in the second quarter valued at about $404,639,000. Finally, Amundi increased its position in Aflac by 22.6% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 3,268,209 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $358,555,000 after acquiring an additional 603,426 shares during the period. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AFL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $138.00 target price (up from $130.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Monday, August 10th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $110.00 target price (up from $101.00) on shares of Aflac in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Weiss Ratings upgraded Aflac from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (a-)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Barclays reaffirmed an "underweight" rating and set a $99.00 price target (up from $98.00) on shares of Aflac in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Aflac from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $116.69.

Aflac Company Profile

Aflac Incorporated NYSE: AFL is an insurance company that provides supplemental health and life insurance products to individuals, employers and groups. Its coverage is designed to help policyholders manage expenses that may not be fully covered by major medical insurance, including costs associated with illness, injury and other qualifying events.

The company's products include accident, cancer, critical illness, hospital indemnity, disability, dental, vision and life insurance. Aflac distributes its policies through workplace benefits programs, independent agents, brokers and other distribution channels.

Founded in 1955 as American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus, Aflac has its headquarters in Columbus, Georgia.

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