Insider Selling: Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Major Shareholder Sells $1,686,487.00 in Stock

Key Points

• Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,900 Aflac shares at an average price of $121.33, generating $1.69 million; the transaction reduced its stake by 0.03% and was conducted under a Rule 10b5-1 plan.
• Aflac shares fell $2.80 to $118.93, while the insurer’s latest quarterly results slightly missed EPS estimates but exceeded revenue expectations. Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with a $116.62 price target.
• Aflac declared a quarterly dividend of $0.61 per share, equivalent to $2.44 annually and a 2.1% yield; the dividend payout ratio is 26.15%.

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,900 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.33, for a total transaction of $1,686,487.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 50,844,690 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,168,986,237.70. The trade was a 0.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available 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 stock are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

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

• 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.
• On Monday, June 22nd, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 27,845 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.71, for a total transaction of $3,249,789.95.
• On Thursday, June 18th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 3,300 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.92, for a total transaction of $385,836.00.
• On Wednesday, June 17th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 26,300 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.62, for a total transaction of $3,067,106.00.
• On Tuesday, June 16th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 30,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.39, for a total transaction of $3,521,700.00.
• On Monday, June 15th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 28,800 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.17, for a total value of $3,374,496.00.
• On Friday, June 12th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 53,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.74, for a total value of $6,240,220.00.
• On Thursday, June 11th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 48,500 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.20, for a total value of $5,684,200.00.
• On Wednesday, June 10th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 26,500 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.00, for a total value of $3,100,500.00.

Aflac Price Performance

Aflac stock traded down $2.80 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $118.93. The company's stock had a trading volume of 523,250 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,330,080. Aflac Incorporated has a 12 month low of $104.66 and a 12 month high of $130.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 0.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The company has a market capitalization of $59.62 billion, a PE ratio of 12.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.60. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $121.60 and its 200-day moving average price is $116.04.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.76 by ($0.01). Aflac had a return on equity of 13.27% and a net margin of 26.91%.The business had revenue of $4.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.11 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.78 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate 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 will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.61 per share. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 19th. Aflac's dividend payout ratio is currently 26.15%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Archer Investment Corp bought a new position in Aflac in the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Aflac during the second quarter valued at about $1,714,000. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac in the second quarter valued at about $5,184,000. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt bought a new position in shares of Aflac in the second quarter worth about $608,000. Finally, Strait & Sound Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Aflac during the 2nd quarter worth about $277,000. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on AFL. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Aflac from a "buy (a-)" rating to a "buy (b+)" rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Aflac in a research report on Wednesday. They issued an "underperform" rating and a $103.00 price target for the company. TD Cowen reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $110.00 price objective (up from $101.00) on shares of Aflac in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Aflac from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $108.00 target price (up from $100.00) on shares of Aflac in a research report on Friday, July 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Aflac has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $116.62.

Aflac Company Profile

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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