Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan Sells 13,000 Shares of Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Stock

Key Points

• Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,000 Aflac shares at an average price of $116.52, generating $1.51 million. The sale reduced its position by 0.03%, leaving it with approximately 50.73 million shares worth $5.91 billion, and was conducted under a Rule 10b5-1 plan.
• Aflac shares recently traded at $115.42, with a market capitalization of $57.86 billion. The company slightly missed quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $1.75 in EPS versus the $1.76 consensus, while revenue of $4.22 billion exceeded estimates.
• Aflac declared a quarterly dividend of $0.61 per share, equivalent to $2.44 annually and a 2.1% yield. Analysts collectively rate the stock “Hold,” with an average price target of $116.62.

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.52, for a total value of $1,514,760.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 50,726,690 shares in the company, valued at $5,910,673,918.80. This trade represents a 0.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Large shareholders that own at least 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 Thursday, August 27th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,700 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.67, for a total value of $1,481,709.00.
• On Wednesday, August 26th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,200 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.35, for a total value 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 value of $1,479,423.00.
• On Monday, August 24th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,500 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was 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 stock was 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 value 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 stock was 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 stock was 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.

Aflac Stock Performance

Shares of Aflac stock traded down $0.43 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $115.42. The company's stock had a trading volume of 454,572 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,326,197. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.12 and a current ratio of 0.12. Aflac Incorporated has a one year low of $104.66 and a one year high of $130.22. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $121.61 and its 200 day simple moving average is $116.23. The stock has a market cap of $57.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.60.

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 for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.76 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $4.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.11 billion. Aflac had a return on equity of 13.27% and a net margin of 26.91%.The business's revenue was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.78 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company set a $122.00 price target on shares of Aflac and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Barclays restated an "underweight" rating and issued a $99.00 price objective (up from $98.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of Aflac from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Aflac from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $110.00 price objective (up from $101.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $116.62.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aflac

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. DNB Asset Management AS lifted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 51.3% during the 4th quarter. DNB Asset Management AS now owns 168,003 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $18,526,000 after acquiring an additional 56,975 shares during the period. Employees Retirement System of Texas purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,743,000. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac during the second quarter worth about $6,630,000. Atlas Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Aflac during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,802,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in Aflac by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,072,717 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $118,256,000 after acquiring an additional 46,262 shares in the last quarter. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.

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.

Continue following MarketBeat

Add MarketBeat as your preferred source on Google to see our latest stories in your feed.

Add As Preferred Source