Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Stock: Insider Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan Sells 12,100 Shares

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.36, for a total transaction of $1,371,656.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 50,445,290 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,718,478,074.40. This trade represents a 0.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. Large 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 Monday, September 28th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.63, for a total transaction of $1,363,560.00.
• On Thursday, September 24th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,100 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.64, for a total transaction of $1,387,144.00.
• On Wednesday, September 23rd, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,500 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.20, for a total value of $1,555,200.00.
• On Monday, September 21st, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,200 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.49, for a total value of $1,408,978.00.
• On Friday, September 18th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,800 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.22, for a total value of $1,487,616.00.
• On Thursday, September 17th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,900 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.58, for a total value of $1,503,882.00.
• 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 value of $1,587,664.00.
• On Friday, September 11th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 14,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were 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 value of $1,520,456.00.

Aflac Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE AFL traded down $0.54 during trading on Thursday, hitting $111.25. 203,435 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,307,331. Aflac Incorporated has a 12-month low of $105.43 and a 12-month high of $130.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.12 and a current ratio of 0.12. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $119.15 and a 200-day moving average price of $116.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.77 billion, a PE ratio of 11.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.59.

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

Aflac Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 19th were issued a dividend of $0.61 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 19th. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.15%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aflac

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AFL. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac during the second quarter worth $4,093,787,000. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in Aflac in the second quarter valued at $404,639,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in Aflac during the 2nd quarter worth $298,418,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in Aflac during the 2nd quarter worth $244,516,000. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in Aflac by 161.9% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,184,801 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $349,405,000 after purchasing an additional 1,968,738 shares during the period. 67.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AFL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Mizuho set a $116.00 price objective on Aflac in a report on Monday, August 10th. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $138.00 target price (up from $130.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday, August 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Aflac from $117.00 to $116.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. 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. Finally, Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating and set a $99.00 price objective (up from $98.00) on shares of Aflac in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $116.62.

About Aflac

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE: AFL) is an insurance company that provides supplemental health and life insurance products to individuals, employers and groups. Its coverage is designed to help policyholders manage expenses that may not be fully covered by major medical insurance, including costs associated with illness, injury and other qualifying events.

The company’s products include accident, cancer, critical illness, hospital indemnity, disability, dental, vision and life insurance. Aflac distributes its policies through workplace benefits programs, independent agents, brokers and other distribution channels.

Founded in 1955 as American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus, Aflac has its headquarters in Columbus, Georgia.