Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Major Shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan Sells 55,000 Shares of Company Stock

Key Points

• Japan Post Holdings sold 55,000 Aflac shares at an average price of $117.79, generating approximately $6.48 million. The sale occurred under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan and left the shareholder with about 50.25 million shares.
• The shareholder has conducted repeated Aflac stock sales in recent weeks, though the latest transaction reduced its ownership by only 0.11%. Continued selling could weigh on investor sentiment despite the limited impact on its overall stake.
• Aflac shares recently traded near $119.29, while analysts held a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $117.20. The company reported $1.75 in quarterly EPS, slightly below expectations, and maintains a quarterly dividend of $0.61.

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 55,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.79, for a total transaction of $6,478,450.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 50,247,940 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,918,704,852.60. This represents a 0.11% 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. Large 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 Tuesday, October 13th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 42,000 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.38, for a total transaction of $4,887,960.00.
• On Monday, October 12th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,200 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.85, for a total transaction of $1,413,370.00.
• On Friday, October 9th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,000 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.72, for a total transaction of $1,376,640.00.
• On Thursday, October 8th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.45, for a total transaction of $1,487,850.00.
• On Wednesday, October 7th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.80, for a total transaction of $1,353,600.00.
• On Tuesday, October 6th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,050 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.49, for a total value of $1,481,044.50.
• On Monday, October 5th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,000 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.25, for a total value of $1,459,250.00.
• On Friday, October 2nd, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,200 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.30, for a total value of $1,469,160.00.
• On Thursday, October 1st, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 11,900 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was 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 shares were sold at an average price of $113.36, for a total value of $1,371,656.00.

Aflac Stock Performance

NYSE:AFL traded up $1.24 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $119.29. 245,654 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,272,505. The firm has a market capitalization of $59.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.56. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $116.46 and a two-hundred day moving average of $117.18. 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 Incorporated has a 12 month low of $105.43 and a 12 month high of $130.22.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last issued 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). Aflac had a net margin of 26.91% and a return on equity of 13.27%. The company had revenue of $4.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.11 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.78 earnings per share. Aflac's revenue for the quarter was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 19th were paid a $0.61 dividend. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 19th. Aflac's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.15%.

Key Aflac News

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target for Aflac to $119 from $116 while maintaining a neutral rating. The increase suggests slightly improved valuation support, although the target remains close to recent trading levels. JPMorgan raises Aflac price target
• Positive Sentiment: DOWLING & PARTN increased its long-term earnings forecasts, raising projected EPS to $7.65 for fiscal 2027 from $7.55 and to $8.25 for fiscal 2028 from $8.05. The revisions indicate improved expectations for Aflac’s future profitability relative to the current-year consensus estimate of $7.04.
• Positive Sentiment: AM Best affirmed Aflac’s credit ratings and those of its subsidiaries, supporting confidence in the insurer’s financial strength and ability to meet policyholder obligations. AM Best affirms Aflac credit ratings
• Neutral Sentiment: Aflac’s European pre-market indication was reported at €105.25. The figure provides an early trading reference but does not offer new information about the company’s fundamentals. Aflac pre-market indication
• Negative Sentiment: Japan Post Holdings continued selling Aflac shares, including 42,000 shares on October 13 and additional sales on October 9 and 12. The transactions reduced its very large position by only a fraction and were executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, limiting the fundamental significance. However, the ongoing selling may weigh on sentiment by creating a perception of persistent shareholder supply. Aflac shareholder SEC filing

Institutional Trading of Aflac

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac in the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Groupe la Francaise bought a new stake in Aflac during the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Archer Investment Corp bought a new stake in Aflac during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. bought a new stake in Aflac during the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC acquired a new position in Aflac during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AFL has been the subject of several recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on Aflac from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 9th. Mizuho decreased their price objective on Aflac from $116.00 to $107.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Aflac from $122.00 to $116.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Aflac from $116.00 to $119.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating and set a $138.00 price objective (up from $130.00) on shares of Aflac in a research report on Monday, August 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Aflac presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $117.20.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.