Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Major Shareholder Sells $1,363,560.00 in Stock

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.63, for a total transaction of $1,363,560.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 50,457,390 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,733,473,225.70. The trade was a 0.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 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 transactions with the SEC.

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

• On Tuesday, September 29th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,100 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.36, for a total transaction of $1,371,656.00.
• 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 shares were sold at an average price of $115.20, for a total transaction 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 stock was 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 shares were 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 stock was 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 shares were sold at an average price of $114.32, for a total value of $1,520,456.00.

Aflac Stock Performance

Shares of AFL stock opened at $111.49 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $55.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.95, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.56. Aflac Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $105.43 and a fifty-two week 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 stock has a 50 day moving average price of $118.60 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $116.63.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.76 by ($0.01). Aflac had a return on equity of 13.27% and a net margin of 26.91%.The firm had revenue of $4.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.11 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.78 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Aflac Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AFL has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $110.00 price objective (up from $101.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Barclays restated an “underweight” rating and set a $99.00 price target (up from $98.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Friday, August 7th. Weiss Ratings raised Aflac from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $138.00 price objective (up from $130.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Monday, August 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Aflac from $117.00 to $116.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $116.62.

Institutional Trading of Aflac

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in Aflac in the second quarter worth $4,093,787,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Aflac during the 4th quarter valued at $420,078,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in shares of Aflac during the 2nd quarter valued at $404,639,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac in the 2nd quarter worth about $298,418,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac in the 2nd quarter worth about $244,516,000. 67.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.