Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan Sells 18,100 Shares of Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Stock

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 18,100 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.53, for a total value of $1,982,493.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 52,168,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,713,961,040. This trade represents a 0.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Major shareholders that own at least 10% of a company’s shares are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

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

• On Tuesday, March 10th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 19,000 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.47, for a total transaction of $2,098,930.00.
• On Monday, March 9th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 17,300 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.62, for a total transaction of $1,896,426.00.
• On Friday, March 6th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 19,100 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.77, for a total transaction of $2,115,707.00.
• On Thursday, March 5th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 19,300 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.96, for a total transaction of $2,141,528.00.

Aflac Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:AFL traded down $0.16 during trading on Friday, reaching $109.47. 130,077 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,282,948. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $111.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $110.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Aflac Incorporated has a 1-year low of $96.95 and a 1-year high of $119.32. The firm has a market cap of $56.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 0.66.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $1.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.69 by ($0.12). The firm had revenue of $4.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.45 billion. Aflac had a return on equity of 14.35% and a net margin of 21.24%.Aflac’s revenue was down 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.57 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Aflac

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AFL. World Investment Advisors grew its position in Aflac by 59.8% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 6,298 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $694,000 after buying an additional 2,357 shares in the last quarter. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its stake in Aflac by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 543,892 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $60,032,000 after purchasing an additional 17,532 shares in the last quarter. Union Savings Bank bought a new stake in Aflac during the fourth quarter worth about $187,000. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its stake in Aflac by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 1,061,308 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $117,186,000 after buying an additional 58,018 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on AFL. Mizuho set a $107.00 price objective on Aflac in a report on Monday, February 9th. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $119.00 target price (up from $110.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Tuesday, December 30th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Aflac in a report on Monday, December 22nd. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of Aflac in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $120.00 price objective on Aflac in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Aflac presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $111.73.

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.