Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL – Get Free Report) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.89, for a total value of $1,649,570.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 50,121,329 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,359,895,436.81. This represents a 0.03% decrease in their position. 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. Large shareholders that own at least 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 Thursday, October 15th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 113,611 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.53, for a total value of $13,466,311.83.
- On Wednesday, October 14th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 55,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.79, for a total value of $6,478,450.00.
- On Tuesday, October 13th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 42,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.38, for a total value of $4,887,960.00.
- On Monday, October 12th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,200 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.85, for a total value of $1,413,370.00.
- On Friday, October 9th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,000 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.72, for a total value of $1,376,640.00.
- On Thursday, October 8th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,000 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.45, for a total transaction of $1,487,850.00.
- On Wednesday, October 7th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,000 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.80, for a total transaction of $1,353,600.00.
- On Tuesday, October 6th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,050 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.49, for a total transaction of $1,481,044.50.
- On Monday, October 5th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.25, for a total transaction of $1,459,250.00.
- On Friday, October 2nd, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,200 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.30, for a total transaction of $1,469,160.00.
Aflac Price Performance
Shares of NYSE:AFL opened at $126.41 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. Aflac Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $105.76 and a fifty-two week high of $131.18. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $118.29 and a 200 day simple moving average of $116.57. The company has a market cap of $62.52 billion, a PE ratio of 18.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.55.
Aflac (NYSE:AFL – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.63. Aflac had a net margin of 21.24% and a return on equity of 12.82%. The firm had revenue of $4.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.12 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.49 earnings per share. Aflac’s quarterly revenue was down 31.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.29 EPS for the current year.
Aflac Increases Dividend
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.64 per share. This represents a $2.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. This is a boost from Aflac’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.61. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 17th. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.57%.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aflac
Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Aflac during the second quarter worth approximately $4,093,787,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in Aflac by 27.8% in the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 5,201,217 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $609,843,000 after buying an additional 1,132,091 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in Aflac by 98.0% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 5,223,056 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $583,833,000 after buying an additional 2,584,948 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in Aflac by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,550,855 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $499,216,000 after buying an additional 67,650 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in Aflac in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $404,639,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.44% of the company’s stock.
Aflac News Roundup
These are some of the AFL news items that stood out recently:
- Positive Sentiment: Aflac raised its quarterly dividend 4.9%, from $0.61 to $0.64 per share. The $2.56 annualized payout equates to a yield of about 2.0%; payment is scheduled for March 1, 2027, to shareholders of record February 17. Aflac dividend announcement
- Neutral Sentiment: Major shareholder Post Holdings’ Japan entity sold 13,000 shares, while director Joseph Moskowitz sold 600. Both sales were made under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans; the sales are small relative to their remaining holdings and may not indicate a change in outlook.
- Negative Sentiment: Analyst target increases still leave valuations below the recent market price, and ratings are cautious: Wells Fargo lifted its target to $124 but kept an “equal weight” rating; Mizuho raised its target to $117 while maintaining “underperform.” JPMorgan also raised its target, to $121 from $119. These targets may temper the positive dividend signal. Wells Fargo target update JPMorgan target update
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
AFL has been the topic of several recent research reports. Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $101.00 price target (up from $99.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $125.00 price objective (up from $124.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. Wolfe Research began coverage on Aflac in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $103.00 target price on the stock. Mizuho raised their target price on Aflac from $112.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $110.00 target price (up from $101.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $118.73.
Get Our Latest Report on Aflac
About Aflac
Aflac Incorporated is an insurance company that provides supplemental health and life insurance to individuals and businesses. Its products are designed to help customers manage expenses that may not be covered by major medical insurance, including costs associated with accidents, cancer, critical illness and hospital stays. The company operates primarily in the United States and Japan. In the U.S., Aflac offers workplace benefits such as accident, disability, dental, vision and life insurance. In Japan, it provides products including cancer, medical and life insurance.
Recommended Stories
- Five stocks we like better than Aflac
- Checkmate for AI Chips? NVIDIA’s Crisis Opens the Board
- Can NVIDIA Maintain Its Momentum Without Huang?
- Six Flags Lost $366 Million in Q3—Its Insiders Just Went Shopping
- What Went Wrong With Amprius Technologies’ Q3? Less Than You’d Think
Receive News & Ratings for Aflac Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Aflac and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
