Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Major Shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan Sells 12,700 Shares of Stock

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,700 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.00, for a total value of $1,473,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 50,713,990 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,882,822,840. This represents a 0.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through 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 transactions with the SEC.

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

• On Friday, August 28th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.52, for a total transaction of $1,514,760.00.
• On Thursday, August 27th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,700 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.67, for a total value of $1,481,709.00.
• On Wednesday, August 26th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,200 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.35, for a total value of $1,549,020.00.
• On Tuesday, August 25th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,700 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.49, for a total transaction of $1,479,423.00.
• On Monday, August 24th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,500 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.02, for a total value of $1,593,270.00.
• On Friday, August 21st, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,900 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.28, for a total transaction of $1,500,012.00.
• On Thursday, August 20th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,100 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.60, for a total value of $1,527,460.00.
• On Wednesday, August 19th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,700 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.05, for a total value of $1,486,535.00.
• On Tuesday, August 18th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 14,200 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.94, for a total transaction of $1,731,548.00.
• On Monday, August 17th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,900 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.33, for a total value of $1,686,487.00.

Aflac Stock Performance

Aflac stock traded up $1.10 on Wednesday, hitting $117.12. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 314,773 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,330,288. Aflac Incorporated has a one year low of $104.66 and a one year high of $130.22. The firm has a market cap of $58.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 0.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $121.55 and a 200-day moving average price of $116.23.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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). Aflac had a net margin of 26.91% and a return on equity of 13.27%. The company had revenue of $4.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.11 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.78 EPS. Aflac’s quarterly revenue was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Aflac Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

AFL has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company set a $122.00 target price on Aflac and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and set a $108.00 price objective (up from $100.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Friday, July 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of Aflac from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Mizuho set a $116.00 target price on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Aflac from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Aflac presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $116.62.

Institutional Trading of Aflac

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AFL. Archer Investment Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in Aflac in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Groupe la Francaise bought a new position in Aflac in the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. acquired a new stake in Aflac during the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Aflac during the 1st quarter worth $25,000. 67.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Aflac

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.