Insider Selling: Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Major Shareholder Sells 13,300 Shares of Stock

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,300 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.32, for a total value of $1,520,456.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 50,612,190 shares in the company, valued at $5,785,985,560.80. The trade was a 0.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 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 8th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,600 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.44, for a total transaction of $1,569,984.00.
• On Friday, September 4th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 15,000 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.47, for a total transaction of $1,762,050.00.
• On Thursday, September 3rd, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 20,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.49, for a total transaction of $2,369,800.00.
• On Wednesday, September 2nd, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,500 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.19, for a total transaction of $1,582,065.00.
• 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 value of $1,481,856.00.
• On Monday, August 31st, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,700 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.00, for a total value of $1,473,200.00.
• On Friday, August 28th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were 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 stock was 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 transaction 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 transaction of $1,479,423.00.

Aflac Stock Performance

Shares of AFL stock traded up $1.11 during trading on Monday, reaching $116.39. 255,103 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,314,095. The company has a market capitalization of $58.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.49, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a current ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 0.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $121.08 and its 200 day moving average is $116.34. Aflac Incorporated has a 1 year low of $105.43 and a 1 year high of $130.22.

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

Aflac Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 19th were issued a dividend of $0.61 per share. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 19th. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.15%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AFL has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Mizuho set a $116.00 price objective on shares of Aflac in a report on Monday, August 10th. Wolfe Research started coverage on Aflac in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $103.00 price objective on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered Aflac from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Aflac from $117.00 to $116.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $110.00 price target (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 assigned a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $116.62.

Institutional Trading of Aflac

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AFL. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Aflac in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Groupe la Francaise bought a new stake in shares of Aflac during the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Archer Investment Corp purchased a new position in Aflac during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. bought a new stake in Aflac during the second quarter worth about $27,000. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Aflac

Aflac Incorporated is an insurance company that provides supplemental health and life insurance products. Its coverage is designed to help policyholders manage expenses that may not be fully covered by major medical insurance, including costs associated with accidents, illness, hospitalization, disability and critical illness.

Through its U.S. operations, Aflac markets policies to individuals, businesses and employees through workplace benefit programs, independent agents and brokers. The company is also a major provider of supplemental insurance in Japan, where it offers products focused primarily on cancer, medical and income-support coverage.

Founded in 1955 in Columbus, Georgia, as American Family Life Assurance Company, the business adopted the name Aflac in 1990.