Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Major Shareholder Sells $1,961,840.00 in Stock

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 17,900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.60, for a total value of $1,961,840.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 52,150,100 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,715,650,960. The trade was a 0.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Large 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 Friday, March 13th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 17,400 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.14, for a total value of $1,899,036.00.
• On Wednesday, March 11th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 18,100 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.53, for a total value of $1,982,493.00.
• On Tuesday, March 10th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 19,000 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.47, for a total transaction of $2,098,930.00.
• On Monday, March 9th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 17,300 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.62, for a total transaction of $1,896,426.00.
• On Friday, March 6th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 19,100 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.77, for a total transaction of $2,115,707.00.
• On Thursday, March 5th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 19,300 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.96, for a total transaction of $2,141,528.00.

Aflac Price Performance

AFL stock opened at $107.89 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $55.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.68, a PEG ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 0.66. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $111.48 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $110.35. The company has a current ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Aflac Incorporated has a 12-month low of $96.95 and a 12-month high of $119.32.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $1.57 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.69 by ($0.12). The firm had revenue of $4.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.45 billion. Aflac had a return on equity of 14.35% and a net margin of 21.24%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.57 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aflac

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its position in Aflac by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 342,092 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $37,722,000 after buying an additional 3,736 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors boosted its holdings in Aflac by 59.8% in the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 6,298 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $694,000 after acquiring an additional 2,357 shares in the last quarter. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC bought a new stake in Aflac in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Aflac by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 543,892 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $60,032,000 after acquiring an additional 17,532 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Union Savings Bank bought a new position in shares of Aflac during the fourth quarter valued at $187,000. 67.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on AFL. Morgan Stanley set a $120.00 price objective on Aflac in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Mizuho set a $107.00 price target on shares of Aflac in a report on Monday, February 9th. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Aflac in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Barclays set a $101.00 price objective on shares of Aflac and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $119.00 target price (up from $110.00) on shares of Aflac in a research report on Tuesday, December 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Aflac has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $111.73.

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.