Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan Sells 13,500 Shares of Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Stock

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFLGet Free Report) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.19, for a total transaction of $1,582,065.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 50,687,690 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,940,090,391.10. This trade represents a 0.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Large shareholders that own more than 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, September 1st, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,800 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.77, for a total transaction of $1,481,856.00.
  • On Monday, August 31st, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,700 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.00, for a total transaction of $1,473,200.00.
  • On Friday, August 28th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,000 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.52, for a total value of $1,514,760.00.
  • On Thursday, August 27th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,700 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.67, for a total value of $1,481,709.00.
  • On Wednesday, August 26th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,200 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.35, for a total value of $1,549,020.00.
  • On Tuesday, August 25th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,700 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.49, for a total value of $1,479,423.00.
  • On Monday, August 24th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,500 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.02, for a total value of $1,593,270.00.
  • On Friday, August 21st, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,900 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.28, for a total value of $1,500,012.00.
  • On Thursday, August 20th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,100 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.60, for a total value of $1,527,460.00.
  • On Wednesday, August 19th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,700 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.05, for a total value of $1,486,535.00.

Aflac Stock Performance

Shares of Aflac stock opened at $117.09 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $58.70 billion, a PE ratio of 12.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $121.49 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $116.27. Aflac Incorporated has a one year low of $104.66 and a one year high of $130.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.12 and a current ratio of 0.12.

Aflac (NYSE:AFLGet Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.76 by ($0.01). Aflac had a net margin of 26.91% and a return on equity of 13.27%. The firm had revenue of $4.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.11 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.78 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders 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 was Wednesday, August 19th. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.15%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aflac

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. California State Teachers Retirement System lifted its stake in Aflac by 11,094.0% during the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 86,458,157 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $10,137,219,000 after acquiring an additional 85,685,796 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Aflac during the second quarter worth $4,093,787,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Aflac during the fourth quarter worth $420,078,000. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in Aflac during the second quarter valued at $404,639,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in Aflac during the second quarter valued at $298,418,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Aflac

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

  • Positive Sentiment: Aflac partnered with actor Ben Affleck and its iconic duck for a new advertising campaign, including branded billboards and social-media activity in Los Angeles. The campaign could increase consumer awareness and support future policy sales, although its direct financial impact is uncertain. Ben Affleck and the Aflac Duck Unite for New Ad Campaign
  • Positive Sentiment: Aflac remains attractive to income-focused and defensive investors. The company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.61 per share, equivalent to $2.44 annually, with an approximately 2.1% yield and a payout ratio near 26%. A recent dividend-focused article also recognized Aflac’s long record of annual increases. Safe High-Yield Dividend Stocks
  • Neutral Sentiment: The Ben Affleck billboard activity appears to be a planned publicity campaign rather than actual vandalism. It may generate short-term brand engagement, but no revenue, earnings guidance or other measurable financial benefit was announced. Ben Affleck Aflac Advertising Campaign
  • Negative Sentiment: Japan Post Holdings, a major Aflac shareholder, sold 13,500 shares for approximately $1.58 million on September 2 and has reported several similar sales in recent weeks. The latest transaction reduced its stake by only about 0.03% and was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, limiting its significance, but the repeated selling may create a modest supply overhang. Aflac Major Shareholder SEC Filing

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AFL has been the subject of several analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $108.00 price objective (up from $100.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Friday, July 10th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Aflac in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $103.00 target price on the stock. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $138.00 target price (up from $130.00) on shares of Aflac in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Wall Street Zen cut Aflac from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 15th. Finally, Mizuho set a $116.00 price target on Aflac in a report on Monday, August 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $116.62.

View Our Latest Analysis on Aflac

About Aflac

(Get Free Report)

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.

Further Reading

Insider Buying and Selling by Quarter for Aflac (NYSE:AFL)

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