Insider Selling: Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Major Shareholder Sells $1,503,882.00 in Stock

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.58, for a total value of $1,503,882.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 50,544,290 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,892,453,328.20. The trade was a 0.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Large shareholders that own 10% or more 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 Monday, September 21st, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,200 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.49, for a total value of $1,408,978.00.
• On Friday, September 18th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,800 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.22, for a total value of $1,487,616.00.
• On Wednesday, September 16th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,800 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.49, for a total value of $1,621,362.00.
• On Monday, September 14th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,600 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.74, for a total value of $1,587,664.00.
• On Friday, September 11th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 14,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.14, for a total transaction of $1,611,960.00.
• On Thursday, September 10th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,300 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.32, for a total transaction of $1,520,456.00.
• On Tuesday, September 8th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,600 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.44, for a total transaction of $1,569,984.00.
• On Friday, September 4th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 15,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.47, for a total transaction 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 transaction 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 transaction of $1,582,065.00.

Aflac Stock Up 0.5%

AFL opened at $115.18 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $57.75 billion, a PE ratio of 12.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.59. Aflac Incorporated has a twelve month low of $105.43 and a twelve month high of $130.22. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $120.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $116.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 0.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last posted 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 firm had revenue of $4.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.11 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.78 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 19th were paid 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 is currently 26.15%.

Key Stories Impacting Aflac

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Aflac reported quarterly revenue of $4.22 billion, above the $4.11 billion consensus estimate. The company remains highly profitable, with a net margin of 26.91%, and its valuation near 12 times earnings may appeal to defensive and income-focused investors. Aflac mixed Q2 earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s $0.61 quarterly dividend, equivalent to $2.44 annually and a yield of roughly 2.1%, continues to support Aflac’s appeal as a steady income investment. Its payout ratio remains relatively low at about 26%, leaving room for continued dividend support.
• Neutral Sentiment: Aflac partnered with fashion designer Rachel Zoe on a scannable “check” jacket to encourage cancer screenings. The campaign reinforces Aflac’s cancer-insurance brand and public visibility, but is unlikely to materially affect near-term earnings. Aflac and Rachel Zoe cancer-screening campaign
• Neutral Sentiment: Japan Post Holdings, a major shareholder, continued selling small blocks of Aflac shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The latest sale involved 12,800 shares worth about $1.49 million, reducing its ownership by only 0.03%; the activity may create limited supply pressure but is not necessarily a bearish signal about fundamentals. SEC filing on Japan Post Holdings sale
• Negative Sentiment: Adjusted earnings of $1.75 per share narrowly missed the $1.76 consensus and declined from $1.78 a year earlier. Revenue also fell 1% year over year, tempering the positive impact of the revenue beat and keeping analyst sentiment broadly at “Hold.”

Institutional Trading of Aflac

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $4,093,787,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Aflac in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $420,078,000. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in Aflac in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $404,639,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in Aflac in the second quarter valued at approximately $298,418,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in Aflac in the second quarter valued at approximately $244,516,000. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on AFL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Aflac from $117.00 to $116.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $110.00 price target (up from $101.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Aflac from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 15th. Mizuho set a $116.00 price objective on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Aflac from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $116.62.

Aflac Company Profile

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.