Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan Sells 12,800 Shares of Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Stock

by · The Markets Daily

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFLGet Free Report) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.22, for a total transaction of $1,487,616.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 50,531,490 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,872,769,767.80. This represents a 0.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through 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 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, September 17th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,900 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was 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 transaction 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 transaction of $1,520,456.00.
  • On Tuesday, September 8th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,600 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.44, for a total transaction of $1,569,984.00.
  • On Friday, September 4th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 15,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.47, for a total transaction of $1,762,050.00.
  • On Thursday, September 3rd, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 20,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.49, for a total transaction of $2,369,800.00.
  • On Wednesday, September 2nd, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,500 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.19, for a total value of $1,582,065.00.
  • On Tuesday, September 1st, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,800 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.77, for a total value of $1,481,856.00.

Aflac Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of AFL traded down $0.56 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $114.62. 1,992,517 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,340,660. 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 firm has a market cap of $57.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.59. Aflac Incorporated has a 52-week low of $105.43 and a 52-week high of $130.22. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $120.46 and a 200 day simple moving average of $116.50.

Aflac (NYSE:AFLGet Free Report) last posted 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). The firm had revenue of $4.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.11 billion. Aflac had a return on equity of 13.27% and a net margin of 26.91%.Aflac’s revenue was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.78 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 19th were 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 was Wednesday, August 19th. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.15%.

Trending Headlines about Aflac

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

  • Positive Sentiment: Aflac partnered with fashion designer Rachel Zoe on a jacket featuring a scannable checked pattern to encourage Americans to pursue cancer screenings. The campaign reinforces Aflac’s brand and leadership in supplemental cancer insurance, although it is unlikely to materially affect near-term earnings. Aflac and Rachel Zoe Cancer Screening Campaign
  • Neutral Sentiment: Japan Post Holdings, Aflac’s major shareholder, sold 12,900 shares for approximately $1.5 million but still retained more than 50.5 million shares. The transaction represented only a 0.03% reduction and was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, reducing its significance as a signal about management’s outlook. Aflac Major Shareholder Sale
  • Negative Sentiment: Additional sales by Japan Post Holdings and a company director—each worth roughly $1.5 million to $1.6 million—could create a short-term supply and confidence overhang, even though some transactions were conducted through scheduled trading plans. Aflac Major Shareholder Insider Sale Aflac Director Stock Sale
  • Negative Sentiment: Aflac’s latest quarterly earnings slightly missed analyst expectations, with EPS of $1.75 versus $1.76 expected. Revenue beat forecasts at $4.22 billion but declined 1% year over year, while EPS fell from $1.78 in the prior-year quarter. The mixed performance has outweighed support from Aflac’s dividend and relatively modest valuation. Aflac Earnings Miss Offsets Revenue Beat

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AFL has been the subject of several research reports. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating and issued a $110.00 price target (up from $101.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company set a $122.00 target price on Aflac and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Aflac from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $108.00 price target (up from $100.00) on shares of Aflac in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Piper Sandler restated 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $116.62.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Aflac

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aflac

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Employees Retirement System of Texas acquired a new position in shares of Aflac in the 4th quarter valued at about $3,743,000. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. purchased a new stake in Aflac during the second quarter worth approximately $6,630,000. Atlas Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac in the first quarter worth $1,802,000. Callan Family Office LLC purchased a new position in shares of Aflac in the 2nd quarter valued at $2,546,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 135.5% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 142,180 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $15,599,000 after acquiring an additional 81,803 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

About Aflac

(Get Free Report)

Aflac Incorporated is an insurance company that provides supplemental health and life insurance products. Its coverage is designed to help policyholders manage expenses that may not be fully covered by major medical insurance, including costs associated with accidents, illness, hospitalization, disability and critical illness.

Through its U.S. operations, Aflac markets policies to individuals, businesses and employees through workplace benefit programs, independent agents and brokers. The company is also a major provider of supplemental insurance in Japan, where it offers products focused primarily on cancer, medical and income-support coverage.

Founded in 1955 in Columbus, Georgia, as American Family Life Assurance Company, the business adopted the name Aflac in 1990.

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