Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Major Shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan Sells 13,500 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,500 Aflac shares at an average price of $118.02, generating $1.59 million. The sale reduced its stake by 0.03% to 50.78 million shares and was conducted under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan.
• Aflac shares traded at $117.25, with a market capitalization of approximately $58.78 billion. The company recently reported quarterly EPS of $1.75, slightly below estimates, while revenue of $4.22 billion exceeded expectations.
• Aflac declared a quarterly dividend of $0.61 per share, equivalent to $2.44 annually and a 2.1% yield. Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with an average price target of $116.62.

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.02, for a total transaction of $1,593,270.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 50,778,290 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,992,853,785.80. This represents a 0.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Major shareholders that own more than 10% 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 Friday, August 21st, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,900 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.28, for a total transaction of $1,500,012.00.
• On Thursday, August 20th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,100 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.60, for a total transaction of $1,527,460.00.
• On Wednesday, August 19th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,700 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.05, for a total transaction of $1,486,535.00.
• On Tuesday, August 18th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 14,200 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.94, for a total transaction of $1,731,548.00.
• On Monday, August 17th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,900 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.33, for a total transaction of $1,686,487.00.
• On Friday, August 14th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 14,100 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.43, for a total value of $1,712,163.00.
• On Thursday, August 13th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,000 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.09, for a total value of $1,574,170.00.
• On Monday, June 22nd, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 27,845 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.71, for a total value of $3,249,789.95.
• On Thursday, June 18th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 3,300 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.92, for a total value of $385,836.00.
• On Wednesday, June 17th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 26,300 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.62, for a total value of $3,067,106.00.

Aflac Price Performance

NYSE AFL traded up $1.07 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $117.25. The company had a trading volume of 295,386 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,321,172. Aflac Incorporated has a 52 week low of $104.66 and a 52 week high of $130.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $58.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.57, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.12 and a current ratio of 0.12. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $121.56 and a 200 day simple moving average of $116.21.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.76 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $4.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 quarter last year, the business posted $1.78 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Aflac Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 11,094.0% in the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 86,458,157 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $10,137,219,000 after purchasing an additional 85,685,796 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Aflac during the 2nd quarter valued at about $4,093,787,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised 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 buying an additional 1,132,091 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in Aflac by 1.5% in 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 buying an additional 67,650 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Aflac in the fourth quarter worth approximately $420,078,000. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on AFL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Aflac from $117.00 to $116.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Aflac from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Weiss Ratings raised Aflac from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (a-)" rating in a report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $108.00 price target (up from $100.00) on shares of Aflac in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, TD Cowen restated a "hold" rating and issued a $110.00 price objective (up from $101.00) on shares of Aflac in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $116.62.

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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