Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan Sells 18,000 Shares of Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Stock

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 18,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.03, for a total value of $2,106,540.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 51,313,545 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,005,224,171.35. This represents a 0.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 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 Friday, May 22nd, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 31,100 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.78, for a total transaction of $3,662,958.00.
• On Thursday, May 21st, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 30,400 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.61, for a total transaction of $3,575,344.00.
• On Wednesday, May 20th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 31,600 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.66, for a total transaction of $3,718,056.00.
• On Tuesday, May 19th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 50,000 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.80, for a total transaction of $5,940,000.00.
• On Monday, May 18th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 41,700 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.45, for a total value of $4,939,365.00.
• On Friday, May 15th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 23,500 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.85, for a total value of $2,745,975.00.
• On Thursday, May 14th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 24,500 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.42, for a total value of $2,852,290.00.
• On Wednesday, May 13th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 24,200 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.36, for a total value of $2,791,712.00.
• On Tuesday, May 12th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 24,300 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.97, for a total value of $2,818,071.00.
• On Monday, May 11th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 24,100 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.85, for a total transaction of $2,767,885.00.

Aflac Stock Performance

Shares of AFL traded down $1.06 on Thursday, reaching $113.79. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 397,996 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,286,456. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $112.93 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $111.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.11 and a quick ratio of 0.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.89, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.62. Aflac Incorporated has a 12-month low of $96.95 and a 12-month high of $119.81.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 EPS 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 business had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.66 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 27.9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 20th will be paid a $0.61 dividend. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 20th. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio is 27.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on AFL shares. Wall Street Zen raised Aflac from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Aflac from $116.00 to $114.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of Aflac from $113.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Aflac from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Evercore raised shares of Aflac from a “strong sell” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Aflac currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $112.27.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Aflac during the first quarter valued at $25,000. Groupe la Francaise purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac in the first quarter worth $25,000. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in Aflac during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Aflac in the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Evergreen Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Aflac during the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

More Aflac News

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

• Positive Sentiment: DOWLING & PARTN raised its earnings outlook, forecasting FY2026 EPS of $7.10, FY2027 EPS of $7.55, and FY2028 EPS of $8.05 for Aflac, all at or above the current consensus and signaling expectations for continued profit growth. Aflac analyst estimate article
• Neutral Sentiment: Aflac reaffirmed its shareholder return profile by declaring a quarterly dividend of $0.61 per share, which supports income-focused investors but was already expected by the market. Aflac dividend article
• Negative Sentiment: EVP Steven Kent Beaver sold 5,508 shares of Aflac, adding to the perception of insider caution even though the sale was relatively small versus his remaining holdings. Steven Kent Beaver sale article
• Negative Sentiment: Major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan continued trimming its stake, selling multiple blocks of shares in recent sessions, which may weigh on sentiment despite the sales being part of a pre-arranged trading plan. Post Holdings sale article

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.