Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Major Shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan Sells 26,500 Shares of Stock

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 26,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.00, for a total transaction of $3,100,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 51,116,235 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,980,599,495. This represents a 0.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Major shareholders that own at least 10% of a company’s stock are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, June 9th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,800 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.43, for a total transaction of $1,477,504.00.
• On Monday, June 8th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,900 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.05, for a total transaction of $1,613,095.00.
• On Friday, June 5th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 63,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.12, for a total transaction of $7,441,560.00.
• On Wednesday, June 3rd, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 16,300 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.19, for a total transaction of $1,877,597.00.
• On Tuesday, June 2nd, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 9,750 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.39, for a total transaction of $1,105,552.50.
• On Monday, June 1st, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 9,060 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.53, for a total transaction of $1,019,521.80.
• On Friday, May 29th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 9,200 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.75, for a total transaction of $1,037,300.00.
• On Thursday, May 28th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 9,100 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.22, for a total transaction of $1,030,302.00.
• On Wednesday, May 27th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 11,400 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.50, for a total transaction of $1,316,700.00.
• On Tuesday, May 26th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 18,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.03, for a total transaction of $2,106,540.00.

Aflac Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AFL opened at $117.56 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $59.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $114.68 and a 200-day moving average price of $111.99. The company has a current ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. Aflac Incorporated has a 12 month low of $96.95 and a 12 month high of $119.81.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.80 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. Aflac had a net margin of 25.60% and a return on equity of 13.88%. The business’s revenue was up 27.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.66 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.08 EPS for the current year.

Aflac Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 20th were paid a dividend of $0.61 per share. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 20th. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio is 27.70%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aflac

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Aflac during the first quarter worth about $25,000. Groupe la Francaise bought a new stake in Aflac during the first quarter worth about $25,000. Quarry LP bought a new stake in Aflac during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC bought a new stake in Aflac during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Evergreen Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Aflac during the first quarter worth about $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Aflac News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Aflac continues to be viewed as a dependable income stock, supported by 44 consecutive years of dividend growth and a recently paid quarterly dividend of $0.61 per share. The “Duck Stock” Keeps Quietly Making Money for Shareholders
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain constructive enough to keep Aflac on the radar as a stable insurance name, with recent commentary highlighting reliable returns from dividends, buybacks, and supplemental insurance growth. 3 Insurance Stocks Hitting 52-Week Highs With More Room to Run
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent market coverage describes Aflac as a steady, low-volatility insurer, but also suggests the stock’s quality may already be fairly priced in, limiting near-term upside. 4 Stocks Making New Highs Despite Market Weakness
• Negative Sentiment: Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan has continued trimming its Aflac stake through a series of insider sales in June, which may create some investor concern even though the trades were disclosed under a 10b5-1 plan. SEC Filing

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on AFL shares. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $130.00 price objective (up from $125.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Evercore upgraded shares of Aflac from a “strong sell” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of Aflac from $113.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Aflac from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Aflac from $116.00 to $111.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $112.27.

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.