Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Major Shareholder Sells $1,899,036.00 in Stock

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 17,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.14, for a total value of $1,899,036.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 52,132,700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,689,762,878. This represents a 0.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Major shareholders that own more than 10% 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 Thursday, March 12th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 17,900 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.60, for a total transaction of $1,961,840.00.
• On Wednesday, March 11th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 18,100 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.53, for a total transaction of $1,982,493.00.
• 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 stock was 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 Performance

Shares of NYSE:AFL traded up $0.78 on Tuesday, hitting $109.89. 149,238 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,269,002. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.56 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a current ratio of 0.11, a quick 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 stock’s 50 day moving average price is $111.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $110.35.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $1.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.69 by ($0.12). The firm had revenue of $4.28 billion during 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%.The business’s revenue was down 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.57 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AFL has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Aflac in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Morgan Stanley set a $120.00 price objective on shares of Aflac in a report on Monday, December 15th. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $119.00 price objective (up from $110.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Tuesday, December 30th. Barclays set a $101.00 target price on shares of Aflac and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Aflac from $109.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $111.73.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aflac

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AFL. True Wealth Design LLC raised its position in shares of Aflac by 188.5% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 225 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Aflac during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Aflac in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Navalign LLC purchased a new position in shares of Aflac in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac in the second quarter worth approximately $33,000. 67.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Aflac

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.