Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Major Shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan Sells 55,000 Shares of Company Stock

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 55,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.79, for a total transaction of $6,478,450.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 50,247,940 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,918,704,852.60. The trade was a 0.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Major 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 Tuesday, October 13th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 42,000 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.38, for a total value of $4,887,960.00.
• On Monday, October 12th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,200 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.85, for a total value of $1,413,370.00.
• On Friday, October 9th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.72, for a total transaction of $1,376,640.00.
• On Thursday, October 8th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.45, for a total transaction of $1,487,850.00.
• On Wednesday, October 7th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.80, for a total transaction of $1,353,600.00.
• On Tuesday, October 6th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,050 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.49, for a total transaction of $1,481,044.50.
• On Monday, October 5th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.25, for a total value of $1,459,250.00.
• On Friday, October 2nd, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,200 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.30, for a total value of $1,469,160.00.
• On Thursday, October 1st, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 11,900 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.18, for a total transaction of $1,323,042.00.
• On Tuesday, September 29th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,100 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.36, for a total transaction of $1,371,656.00.

Aflac Stock Performance

Shares of AFL traded up $1.79 on Friday, reaching $119.84. 1,908,285 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,950,704. 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 stock has a market cap of $60.08 billion, a PE ratio of 12.84, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.56. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $116.36 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $117.20. Aflac Incorporated has a 52-week low of $105.43 and a 52-week high of $130.22.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.76 by ($0.01). The company 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 business’s revenue was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.78 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

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 $0.61 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 19th. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.15%.

More Aflac News

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

• Positive Sentiment: DOWLING & PARTN raised its Aflac EPS estimates to $7.65 for fiscal 2027 from $7.55 and to $8.25 for fiscal 2028 from $8.05. The revisions suggest improving confidence in Aflac’s future earnings growth and provide a bullish counterpoint to the current-year consensus estimate of $7.04. Aflac analyst earnings estimates
• Positive Sentiment: AM Best affirmed the credit ratings of Aflac and its subsidiaries, supporting investor confidence in the insurer’s financial strength, balance sheet and ability to meet policyholder obligations. AM Best affirms Aflac credit ratings
• Neutral Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target for Aflac to $119 from $116 while maintaining a “neutral” rating. Because the new target is close to recent trading levels and implies limited upside, the revision is modestly supportive but does not represent a strong bullish call. JPMorgan raises Aflac price target
• Negative Sentiment: Japan Post Holdings Co. Ltd. continued selling Aflac shares, including 55,000 shares on October 14 and 42,000 shares on October 13. The sales were made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan and reduced its enormous position only slightly, limiting the fundamental impact. However, the repeated transactions could weigh on sentiment by signaling ongoing shareholder selling pressure. Aflac shareholder SEC filing

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aflac

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AFL. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Aflac during the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Groupe la Francaise purchased a new position in Aflac in the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Archer Investment Corp bought a new stake in Aflac in the second quarter worth $26,000. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. bought a new stake in Aflac in the second quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC purchased a new stake in Aflac during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AFL has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Evercore lifted their price objective on shares of Aflac from $109.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Wall Street Zen lowered Aflac from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, August 15th. Wolfe Research began coverage on Aflac in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $103.00 price target for the company. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $125.00 price target (up from $124.00) on shares of Aflac in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Aflac from $116.00 to $119.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $117.20.

Aflac Company Profile

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE: AFL) is an insurance company that provides supplemental health and life insurance products to individuals, employers and groups. Its coverage is designed to help policyholders manage expenses that may not be fully covered by major medical insurance, including costs associated with illness, injury and other qualifying events.

The company’s products include accident, cancer, critical illness, hospital indemnity, disability, dental, vision and life insurance. Aflac distributes its policies through workplace benefits programs, independent agents, brokers and other distribution channels.

Founded in 1955 as American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus, Aflac has its headquarters in Columbus, Georgia.