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

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,500 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.20, for a total transaction of $1,555,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 50,493,590 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,816,861,568. This trade represents a 0.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Large shareholders that own 10% or more of a company’s shares are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

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

• On Monday, September 21st, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,200 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.49, for a total transaction of $1,408,978.00.
• On Friday, September 18th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,800 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.22, for a total transaction of $1,487,616.00.
• On Thursday, September 17th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,900 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.58, for a total value of $1,503,882.00.
• On Wednesday, September 16th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,800 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.49, for a total transaction of $1,621,362.00.
• On Monday, September 14th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,600 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.74, for a total value of $1,587,664.00.
• On Friday, September 11th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 14,000 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.14, for a total value of $1,611,960.00.
• On Thursday, September 10th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,300 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.32, for a total value of $1,520,456.00.
• On Tuesday, September 8th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,600 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.44, for a total value of $1,569,984.00.
• On Friday, September 4th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 15,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were 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 stock was sold at an average price of $118.49, for a total transaction of $2,369,800.00.

Aflac Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of AFL traded down $0.61 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $113.40. 194,532 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,322,391. The stock has a market cap of $56.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.15, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.59. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $120.02 and a two-hundred day moving average of $116.56. The company has a quick ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 0.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Aflac Incorporated has a twelve month low of $105.43 and a twelve month high of $130.22.

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

Aflac Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 19th were paid a dividend of $0.61 per share. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 19th. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio is 26.15%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aflac

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Employees Retirement System of Texas acquired a new stake in Aflac in the fourth quarter worth $3,743,000. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Aflac in the 2nd quarter valued at $6,630,000. Atlas Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Aflac in the 1st quarter valued at $1,802,000. Callan Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in Aflac during the 2nd quarter worth $2,546,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its holdings in Aflac by 135.5% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 142,180 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $15,599,000 after acquiring an additional 81,803 shares in the last quarter. 67.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on AFL shares. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $124.00 target price (up from $114.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Mizuho set a $116.00 price objective on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday, August 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Aflac from $117.00 to $116.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and set a $108.00 price target (up from $100.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on Aflac from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Aflac presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $116.62.

Aflac Company Profile

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.