Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Major Shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan Sells 48,500 Shares

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 48,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.20, for a total value of $5,684,200.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 51,067,735 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,985,138,542. This represents a 0.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Major shareholders that own at least 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 Wednesday, June 10th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 26,500 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.00, for a total value of $3,100,500.00.
• On Tuesday, June 9th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,800 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.43, for a total transaction of $1,477,504.00.
• On Monday, June 8th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,900 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.05, for a total transaction of $1,613,095.00.
• On Friday, June 5th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 63,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.12, for a total transaction of $7,441,560.00.
• On Wednesday, June 3rd, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 16,300 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.19, for a total transaction of $1,877,597.00.
• On Tuesday, June 2nd, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 9,750 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.39, for a total transaction of $1,105,552.50.
• On Monday, June 1st, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 9,060 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.53, for a total transaction of $1,019,521.80.
• On Friday, May 29th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 9,200 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.75, for a total transaction of $1,037,300.00.
• On Thursday, May 28th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 9,100 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.22, for a total transaction of $1,030,302.00.
• On Wednesday, May 27th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 11,400 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.50, for a total transaction of $1,316,700.00.

Aflac Stock Performance

Shares of AFL stock traded down $0.50 on Monday, hitting $117.30. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 383,494 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,365,999. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a current ratio of 0.11. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $114.68 and its 200-day moving average is $112.01. Aflac Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $96.95 and a fifty-two week high of $119.81. The company has a market capitalization of $59.71 billion, a PE ratio of 13.31, a PEG ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.61.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.80 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.20 billion. Aflac had a net margin of 25.60% and a return on equity of 13.88%. The company’s revenue was up 27.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.66 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 20th were paid a $0.61 dividend. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 20th. Aflac’s payout ratio is 27.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on AFL shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Aflac from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Mizuho set a $104.00 target price on Aflac in a report on Monday, May 4th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Aflac from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. UBS Group lowered their target price on Aflac from $116.00 to $114.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Aflac from $116.00 to $111.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $112.27.

Institutional Trading of Aflac

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. DV Trading LLC raised its holdings in shares of Aflac by 450.0% in the 1st quarter. DV Trading LLC now owns 2,200 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $241,000 after acquiring an additional 1,800 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Aflac by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 10,284 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,128,000 after buying an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. First Nebraska Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Aflac during the 1st quarter valued at about $310,000. Foguth Wealth Management LLC. purchased a new position in shares of Aflac during the 1st quarter valued at about $467,000. Finally, Financial Solutions Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Aflac during the 1st quarter valued at about $291,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s 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.