Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Major Shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan Sells 24,300 Shares

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 24,300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.97, for a total value of $2,818,071.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 51,588,545 shares in the company, valued at $5,982,723,563.65. The trade was a 0.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Large shareholders that own at least 10% of a company’s shares are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

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

• On Monday, May 11th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 24,100 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.85, for a total value of $2,767,885.00.
• On Thursday, April 9th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 86,155 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.24, for a total value of $9,756,192.20.
• On Wednesday, April 8th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 166,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.38, for a total value of $18,655,080.00.
• On Tuesday, April 7th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 24,200 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.45, for a total value of $2,672,890.00.
• On Monday, April 6th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 21,500 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.34, for a total value of $2,372,310.00.
• On Thursday, April 2nd, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 20,100 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.20, for a total value of $2,215,020.00.
• On Wednesday, April 1st, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 19,600 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.85, for a total value of $2,153,060.00.
• On Wednesday, March 25th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 14,200 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.03, for a total value of $1,519,826.00.
• On Monday, March 23rd, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 15,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.78, for a total value of $1,601,700.00.
• On Friday, March 20th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 16,800 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.47, for a total value of $1,788,696.00.

Aflac Price Performance

Shares of AFL stock opened at $116.26 on Friday. Aflac Incorporated has a 1-year low of $96.95 and a 1-year high of $119.32. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $111.65 and its 200 day moving average is $111.22. The company has a market cap of $59.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.20, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.11 and a quick ratio of 0.11.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by ($0.05). Aflac had a net margin of 25.60% and a return on equity of 13.88%. The company had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.66 EPS. Aflac’s revenue for the quarter was up 27.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 20th will be paid a $0.61 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 20th. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.70%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its stake in shares of Aflac by 382.1% in the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 667,700 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $73,253,000 after purchasing an additional 529,200 shares during the last quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Aflac in the first quarter worth about $444,000. Compound Planning Inc. raised its stake in shares of Aflac by 0.7% in the first quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 13,743 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,508,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its stake in shares of Aflac by 42.9% in the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 846,186 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $92,835,000 after purchasing an additional 254,010 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Liberty One Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Aflac by 31.5% in the first quarter. Liberty One Investment Management LLC now owns 48,359 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,305,000 after purchasing an additional 11,584 shares during the last quarter. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AFL has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Aflac from $113.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Evercore upgraded Aflac from a “strong sell” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Mizuho set a $104.00 price target on Aflac in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Weiss Ratings cut Aflac from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price target on Aflac from $116.00 to $114.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Aflac currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $111.36.

Trending Headlines about Aflac

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Aflac issued $500 million of 5.150% senior notes due 2036, a move that can support liquidity and provide flexibility for capital management. Aflac Issues $500 Million 2036 Senior Notes Offering
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary remains constructive overall, highlighting strong sales growth in Japan and the U.S., improving Japan margins, and a lower benefit ratio, which supports the case for continued earnings resilience. Here’s Why You Should Keep Holding Aflac in Your Portfolio
• Neutral Sentiment: The company’s recent earnings were mixed: revenue beat expectations, but EPS missed estimates, leaving investors focused on whether growth can offset margin pressure and valuation concerns.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles questioned Aflac’s valuation and risk profile after softer Japan margins and the earnings miss, but these pieces did not indicate a new fundamental setback beyond what was already known.
• Negative Sentiment: Major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan disclosed another small sale of Aflac shares under a pre-arranged trading plan, adding to recent insider selling that can weigh on sentiment. Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Major Shareholder Sells $2,767,885.00 in Stock

Aflac Company Profile

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.