Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Major Shareholder Sells $1,503,882.00 in Stock

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,900 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.58, for a total transaction of $1,503,882.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 50,544,290 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,892,453,328.20. This trade represents a 0.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 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 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 value of $1,621,362.00.
• On Monday, September 14th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,600 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.74, for a total transaction 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 stock was sold at an average price of $114.32, for a total transaction 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 stock was 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 shares were sold at an average price of $118.49, for a total value of $2,369,800.00.
• On Wednesday, September 2nd, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,500 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.19, for a total transaction of $1,582,065.00.
• On Tuesday, September 1st, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,800 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.77, for a total value of $1,481,856.00.
• On Monday, August 31st, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,700 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.00, for a total transaction of $1,473,200.00.

Aflac Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AFL traded down $0.49 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $115.84. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 216,583 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,333,105. Aflac Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $105.43 and a fifty-two week high of $130.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.12 and a quick ratio of 0.12. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $120.62 and its 200-day simple moving average is $116.48. The company has a market capitalization of $58.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.59.

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

Aflac Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 19th were paid a dividend of $0.61 per share. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 19th. Aflac’s payout ratio is 26.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $138.00 price objective (up from $130.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $122.00 price target on Aflac and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. Weiss Ratings lowered Aflac from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $108.00 price objective (up from $100.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Mizuho set a $116.00 target price on Aflac in a research note on Monday, August 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $116.62.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aflac

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Security National Bank of Sioux City Iowa IA raised its holdings in shares of Aflac by 24.4% in the second quarter. Security National Bank of Sioux City Iowa IA now owns 39,570 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,640,000 after purchasing an additional 7,752 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of Aflac by 137.4% in the second quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 40,904 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,796,000 after purchasing an additional 23,677 shares during the last quarter. MCF Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Aflac by 45.0% in the 2nd quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 377 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares during the period. Cidel Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Aflac by 2.5% during the second quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,950 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $580,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the period. Finally, NorthRock Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 18.2% during the second quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC now owns 2,174 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $255,000 after buying an additional 334 shares in the last quarter. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.