Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan Sells 12,700 Shares of Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Stock

Key Points

• Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,700 Aflac shares at an average price of $116.67, generating $1.48 million. The transaction, conducted under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, reduced its stake by 0.03% to approximately 50.74 million shares.
• Aflac shares traded at $116.09, near analysts’ consensus target of $116.62. Analysts’ ratings are mixed, but the overall consensus remains “Hold.”
• Aflac reported quarterly EPS of $1.75, slightly below estimates, while revenue of $4.22 billion exceeded forecasts. The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.61 per share, equivalent to a 2.1% annualized yield.

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.67, for a total value of $1,481,709.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 50,739,690 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,919,799,632.30. This represents a 0.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible 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 transactions with the SEC.

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

• On Wednesday, August 26th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,200 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.35, for a total transaction of $1,549,020.00.
• On Tuesday, August 25th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,700 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.49, for a total transaction of $1,479,423.00.
• On Monday, August 24th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,500 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.02, for a total transaction of $1,593,270.00.
• 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 stock was 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 shares were sold at an average price of $117.05, for a total value 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 value 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 value of $1,686,487.00.
• On Friday, August 14th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 14,100 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were 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.

Aflac Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AFL traded down $0.43 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $116.09. 1,500,037 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,323,462. Aflac Incorporated has a 1 year low of $104.66 and a 1 year high of $130.22. The company has a market cap of $58.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.44, a PEG ratio of 1.88 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 company has a fifty day simple moving average of $121.62 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $116.23.

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 (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 business posted $1.78 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aflac

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac in the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Groupe la Francaise acquired a new position in Aflac in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in Aflac in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Archer Investment Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Finally, Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.44% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on AFL shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of Aflac from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Piper Sandler reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $138.00 price objective (up from $130.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday, August 10th. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $124.00 target price (up from $114.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Aflac from $117.00 to $116.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $110.00 price target (up from $101.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average 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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