Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Major Shareholder Sells $2,153,060.00 in Stock

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 19,600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.85, for a total transaction of $2,153,060.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 51,954,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,707,245,765. The trade was a 0.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Major shareholders that own 10% or more 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 Wednesday, March 25th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 14,200 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.03, for a total transaction of $1,519,826.00.
• On Monday, March 23rd, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 15,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.78, for a total transaction of $1,601,700.00.
• On Friday, March 20th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 16,800 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.47, for a total transaction of $1,788,696.00.
• On Thursday, March 19th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 10,100 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.41, for a total transaction of $1,084,841.00.
• On Wednesday, March 18th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,200 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.43, for a total transaction of $1,322,846.00.
• On Tuesday, March 17th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 15,700 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.77, for a total value of $1,723,389.00.
• On Friday, March 13th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 17,400 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.14, for a total value of $1,899,036.00.
• On Thursday, March 12th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 17,900 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.60, for a total value 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 value 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 value of $2,098,930.00.

Aflac Stock Performance

Shares of Aflac stock traded up $0.03 on Friday, reaching $110.51. 1,438,496 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,611,528. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $111.18 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $110.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.06, a PEG ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 0.66. Aflac Incorporated has a twelve month low of $96.95 and a twelve month high of $119.32. 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 (NYSE:AFL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $1.57 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.69 by ($0.12). Aflac had a return on equity of 14.35% and a net margin of 21.24%.The business had revenue of $4.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.45 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.57 EPS. Aflac’s quarterly revenue was down 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on AFL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Aflac from $101.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Aflac in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Aflac from $109.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Mizuho set a $107.00 target price on Aflac in a report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Aflac from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, February 28th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $112.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aflac

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. True Wealth Design LLC grew 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 valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares during the period. Quarry LP acquired a new position in Aflac in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC purchased a new position in Aflac during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Navalign LLC acquired a new stake in Aflac in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Aflac in the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 67.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.