Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Stock: Insider Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan Sells 13,000 Shares

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.89, for a total value of $1,649,570.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 50,121,329 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,359,895,436.81. This trade represents a 0.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available 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 stock are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

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

• On Thursday, October 15th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 113,611 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.53, for a total value of $13,466,311.83.
• On Wednesday, October 14th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 55,000 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.79, for a total value of $6,478,450.00.
• On Tuesday, October 13th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 42,000 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.38, for a total value of $4,887,960.00.
• On Monday, October 12th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,200 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.85, for a total value of $1,413,370.00.
• On Friday, October 9th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.72, for a total value of $1,376,640.00.
• On Thursday, October 8th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.45, for a total value of $1,487,850.00.
• On Wednesday, October 7th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.80, for a total value of $1,353,600.00.
• On Tuesday, October 6th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,050 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.49, for a total value of $1,481,044.50.
• On Monday, October 5th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,000 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.25, for a total transaction of $1,459,250.00.
• On Friday, October 2nd, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,200 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.30, for a total transaction of $1,469,160.00.

Aflac Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE AFL opened at $127.44 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. Aflac Incorporated has a 52 week low of $105.76 and a 52 week high of $131.18. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $118.47 and its 200 day moving average is $116.66. The company has a market cap of $63.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.58, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.55.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.43 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.63. The company had revenue of $4.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.12 billion. Aflac had a net margin of 21.24% and a return on equity of 12.82%. The firm’s revenue was down 31.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.49 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Aflac Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 17th will be given a $0.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 17th. This is a positive change from Aflac’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.61. This represents a $2.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio is presently 35.57%.

Institutional Trading of Aflac

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AFL. Groupe la Francaise bought a new position in Aflac in the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Archer Investment Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac in the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. bought a new stake in shares of Aflac during the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Evergreen Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Aflac during the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Markowski Investments bought a new stake in shares of Aflac during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

More Aflac News

Here’s some of the latest news about AFL:

• Positive Sentiment: Aflac raised its quarterly dividend 4.9%, from $0.61 to $0.64 per share. The new annualized payout is $2.56 per share, or about a 2.0% yield. Aflac dividend announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target to $124 and JPMorgan to $121 from $119. The higher targets are modestly constructive, though they remain below the recent share price; Wells Fargo maintained an “equal weight” rating. Wells Fargo target update JPMorgan target update
• Neutral Sentiment: Director Joseph Moskowitz sold 600 shares and major shareholder Post Holdings’ Japan entity sold 13,000 shares. Both transactions were made under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans and were small compared with their remaining holdings.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on AFL shares. Raymond James Financial increased their target price on shares of Aflac from $119.00 to $123.00 in a report on Wednesday, August 26th. Mizuho raised their target price on Aflac from $112.00 to $117.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Barclays restated an “underweight” rating and set a $101.00 price target (up from $99.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Aflac from $116.00 to $119.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $125.00 price objective (up from $124.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Aflac currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $118.73.

About Aflac

Aflac Incorporated is an insurance company that provides supplemental health and life insurance to individuals and businesses. Its products are designed to help customers manage expenses that may not be covered by major medical insurance, including costs associated with accidents, cancer, critical illness and hospital stays. The company operates primarily in the United States and Japan. In the U.S., Aflac offers workplace benefits such as accident, disability, dental, vision and life insurance. In Japan, it provides products including cancer, medical and life insurance.