Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Major Shareholder Sells $2,852,290.00 in Stock

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 24,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.42, for a total transaction of $2,852,290.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 51,539,845 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,000,268,754.90. This trade represents a 0.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Large shareholders that own more than 10% 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 Monday, May 18th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 41,700 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.45, for a total transaction of $4,939,365.00.
• On Friday, May 15th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 23,500 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.85, for a total transaction of $2,745,975.00.
• On Wednesday, May 13th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 24,200 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.36, for a total transaction of $2,791,712.00.
• On Tuesday, May 12th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 24,300 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.97, for a total transaction of $2,818,071.00.
• On Monday, May 11th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 24,100 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.85, for a total transaction of $2,767,885.00.
• On Thursday, April 9th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 86,155 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.24, for a total transaction of $9,756,192.20.
• On Wednesday, April 8th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 166,000 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.38, for a total transaction of $18,655,080.00.
• On Tuesday, April 7th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 24,200 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.45, for a total transaction of $2,672,890.00.
• On Monday, April 6th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 21,500 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.34, for a total transaction of $2,372,310.00.
• On Thursday, April 2nd, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 20,100 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.20, for a total transaction of $2,215,020.00.

Aflac Stock Down 1.0%

AFL opened at $117.28 on Thursday. Aflac Incorporated has a twelve month low of $96.95 and a twelve month high of $119.81. The company has a quick ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $112.17 and a 200 day moving average price of $111.53. The company has a market cap of $59.69 billion, a PE ratio of 13.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.62.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.80 by ($0.05). Aflac had a return on equity of 13.88% and a net margin of 25.60%.The company had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.66 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 27.9% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.61 per share. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 20th. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.70%.

Trending Headlines about Aflac

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks said the accident and health insurance industry remains attractive, citing benefits from rising underwriting exposure and faster digitalization, which is supportive for Aflac and peers. Article: Zacks Industry Outlook Highlights Aflac, Unum, Globe Life, Trupanion and Employers
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s quarterly dividend of $0.61 per share reinforces its appeal to income investors and may help support the stock.
• Neutral Sentiment: Aflac’s latest earnings call highlighted strength in Japan, suggesting underlying business momentum even though the most recent EPS report missed expectations. Article: Aflac Earnings Call Highlights Japan Surge and Strength
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling has weighed on sentiment, including a recent $4.9 million sale by insiders and additional share sales by major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan. Article: Aflac Insiders Sell US$4.9m Of Stock, Possibly Signalling Caution
• Negative Sentiment: Director Thomas Kenny also sold shares, adding to concerns that insiders may be taking profits after the stock’s recent strength. Article: Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Director Sells $202,831.80 in Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Investors may also stay cautious because Aflac’s last reported EPS missed analyst estimates, even though revenue came in ahead of expectations.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AFL has been the subject of several research reports. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Aflac from $116.00 to $114.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Aflac from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Aflac from $116.00 to $111.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Evercore raised shares of Aflac from a “strong sell” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Barclays set a $99.00 price target on shares of Aflac and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Aflac currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $111.36.

Institutional Trading of Aflac

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Western Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Aflac by 409.3% during the 1st quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,881 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,303,000 after purchasing an additional 9,548 shares during the period. Strait & Sound Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Aflac by 7.4% during the 1st quarter. Strait & Sound Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,978 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $217,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems boosted its position in shares of Aflac by 25.8% during the 1st quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems now owns 38,481 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,222,000 after purchasing an additional 7,898 shares during the period. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas boosted its position in shares of Aflac by 2.5% during the 1st quarter. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas now owns 12,714 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,395,000 after purchasing an additional 309 shares during the period. Finally, Bull Harbor Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Aflac during the 1st quarter worth approximately $238,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Company Profile

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.