Insider Selling: Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Major Shareholder Sells 16,300 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• Aflac major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 16,300 shares on Wednesday at an average price of $115.19, totaling about $1.88 million. The trade was made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan.
• The insider has been actively reducing its Aflac stake with multiple sales in late May and early June. After the latest transaction, it still owned about 51.25 million shares.
• Aflac shares rose 2.0% to $117.61, near their 52-week high, while the company continues to show solid fundamentals and pays a quarterly dividend of $0.61 per share (2.1% yield).

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 16,300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.19, for a total transaction of $1,877,597.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 51,248,735 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,903,341,784.65. The trade was a 0.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 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 transactions with the SEC.

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

• On Tuesday, June 2nd, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 9,750 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.39, for a total transaction of $1,105,552.50.
• On Monday, June 1st, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 9,060 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.53, for a total value of $1,019,521.80.
• On Friday, May 29th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 9,200 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.75, for a total value of $1,037,300.00.
• On Thursday, May 28th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 9,100 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.22, for a total transaction of $1,030,302.00.
• On Wednesday, May 27th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 11,400 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.50, for a total transaction of $1,316,700.00.
• On Tuesday, May 26th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 18,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.03, for a total transaction of $2,106,540.00.
• On Friday, May 22nd, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 31,100 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.78, for a total value of $3,662,958.00.
• On Thursday, May 21st, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 30,400 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.61, for a total transaction of $3,575,344.00.
• On Wednesday, May 20th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 31,600 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.66, for a total transaction of $3,718,056.00.
• On Tuesday, May 19th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 50,000 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.80, for a total transaction of $5,940,000.00.

Aflac Trading Up 2.0%

AFL stock traded up $2.32 during trading on Friday, hitting $117.61. 303,741 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,356,860. The company has a 50-day moving average of $113.66 and a 200-day moving average of $111.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a current ratio of 0.11. Aflac Incorporated has a 1 year low of $96.95 and a 1 year high of $119.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $59.86 billion, a PE ratio of 13.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.61.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.80 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.20 billion. Aflac had a return on equity of 13.88% and a net margin of 25.60%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 27.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.66 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 20th were given a $0.61 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 20th. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Aflac's dividend payout ratio is currently 27.70%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on AFL shares. Wall Street Zen raised Aflac from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $130.00 price objective (up from $125.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Mizuho set a $104.00 target price on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Evercore raised Aflac from a "strong sell" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Aflac from $116.00 to $111.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $112.27.

Institutional Trading of Aflac

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Aflac during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Groupe la Francaise purchased a new position in Aflac during the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Aflac during the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Aflac in the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Evergreen Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Aflac in the first quarter worth approximately $29,000. Institutional investors own 67.44% of the company's stock.

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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