Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Major Shareholder Sells $1,481,856.00 in Stock

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.77, for a total value of $1,481,856.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 50,701,190 shares in the company, valued at $5,869,676,766.30. The trade was a 0.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction 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. Major shareholders that own more than 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 Monday, August 31st, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,700 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.00, for a total transaction of $1,473,200.00.
• On Friday, August 28th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,000 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was 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 shares were sold at an average price of $116.67, for a total transaction 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 shares were 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 shares were sold at an average price of $118.02, for a total value of $1,593,270.00.
• On Friday, August 21st, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,900 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.28, for a total value of $1,500,012.00.
• On Thursday, August 20th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,100 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.60, for a total transaction 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.

Aflac Stock Performance

AFL traded up $1.46 during trading on Thursday, reaching $118.70. 245,414 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,329,676. The stock has a market capitalization of $59.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.59. Aflac Incorporated has a 1 year low of $104.66 and a 1 year high of $130.22. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $121.54 and its 200-day simple moving average is $116.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.12 and a quick ratio of 0.12.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.76 by ($0.01). Aflac had a net margin of 26.91% and a return on equity of 13.27%. The company had revenue of $4.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.11 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.78 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 19th were issued a $0.61 dividend. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 19th. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.15%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aflac

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Archer Investment Corp acquired a new position in Aflac in the second quarter valued at $26,000. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Aflac in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Groupe la Francaise acquired a new stake in Aflac in the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. purchased a new stake in Aflac in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Aflac in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on AFL. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $110.00 price objective (up from $101.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Aflac from $117.00 to $116.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $122.00 price objective on Aflac and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Wolfe Research began coverage on Aflac in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $103.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Aflac from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, August 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Aflac has an average rating of “Hold” and an average 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.