Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan Sells 13,600 Shares of Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Stock

Key Points

• Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,600 Aflac shares at an average price of $115.44, generating $1.57 million. The transaction reduced its ownership by 0.03%, leaving it with approximately 50.64 million shares valued at $5.85 billion.
• Aflac shares recently traded at $114.35, while the company reported quarterly EPS of $1.75, slightly below expectations, and revenue of $4.22 billion, above estimates. The stock pays an annualized dividend of $2.44 per share, yielding about 2.1%.
• Wall Street analysts have a consensus “Hold” rating on Aflac, with an average price target of $116.62. Institutional investors own approximately 67.44% of the company’s shares.

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.44, for a total value of $1,569,984.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 50,639,090 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,845,776,549.60. This trade represents a 0.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Major shareholders that own more than 10% of a company's shares are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

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

• On Friday, September 4th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 15,000 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.47, for a total value of $1,762,050.00.
• On Thursday, September 3rd, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 20,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.49, for a total value of $2,369,800.00.
• On Wednesday, September 2nd, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,500 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.19, for a total value of $1,582,065.00.
• On Tuesday, September 1st, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,800 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.77, for a total value of $1,481,856.00.
• On Monday, August 31st, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,700 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.00, for a total value of $1,473,200.00.
• On Friday, August 28th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.52, for a total value of $1,514,760.00.
• 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 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.

Aflac Stock Performance

Shares of AFL stock traded down $0.39 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $114.35. 355,785 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,321,016. The company has a current ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 0.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.23, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.59. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $121.32 and a 200 day simple moving average of $116.32. Aflac Incorporated has a 52-week low of $105.43 and a 52-week high of $130.22.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 for 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 for the quarter was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.78 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 19th were paid 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 was Wednesday, August 19th. Aflac's dividend payout ratio is presently 26.15%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aflac

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Stephens Inc. AR grew its position in Aflac by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 21,945 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,420,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Compound Planning Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 13,743 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,508,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Aflac by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 2,119 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $234,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC boosted its stake in shares of Aflac by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 7,702 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $902,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Studio Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Aflac by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC now owns 7,650 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $897,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. 67.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AFL has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Aflac from $117.00 to $116.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of Aflac from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Aflac in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. They issued an "underperform" rating and a $103.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company set a $122.00 price objective on shares of Aflac and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $110.00 price objective (up from $101.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $116.62.

About Aflac

Aflac Incorporated is an insurance company that provides supplemental health and life insurance products. Its coverage is designed to help policyholders manage expenses that may not be fully covered by major medical insurance, including costs associated with accidents, illness, hospitalization, disability and critical illness.

Through its U.S. operations, Aflac markets policies to individuals, businesses and employees through workplace benefit programs, independent agents and brokers. The company is also a major provider of supplemental insurance in Japan, where it offers products focused primarily on cancer, medical and income-support coverage.

Founded in 1955 in Columbus, Georgia, as American Family Life Assurance Company, the business adopted the name Aflac in 1990.

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