Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan Sells 16,800 Shares of Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Stock

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 16,800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.47, for a total value of $1,788,696.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 52,061,800 shares in the company, valued at $5,543,019,846. The trade was a 0.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Major shareholders that own 10% or more of a company’s shares are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

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

• On Monday, March 23rd, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 15,000 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.78, for a total value of $1,601,700.00.
• On Thursday, March 19th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 10,100 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.41, for a total value of $1,084,841.00.
• On Wednesday, March 18th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,200 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.43, for a total value of $1,322,846.00.
• On Tuesday, March 17th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 15,700 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.77, for a total transaction of $1,723,389.00.
• On Friday, March 13th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 17,400 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.14, for a total transaction of $1,899,036.00.
• On Thursday, March 12th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 17,900 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.60, for a total transaction of $1,961,840.00.
• 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 transaction 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 shares were 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.

Aflac Trading Up 0.9%

NYSE AFL opened at $107.13 on Thursday. 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 1-year low of $96.95 and a 1-year high of $119.32. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $111.22 and its 200-day simple moving average is $110.34. The company has a market capitalization of $55.19 billion, a PE ratio of 15.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.48 and a beta of 0.66.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AFL. J. Derek Lewis & Associates Inc. bought a new position in shares of Aflac in the fourth quarter worth about $263,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its position in shares of Aflac by 5.8% during the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 1,061,308 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $117,186,000 after acquiring an additional 58,018 shares in the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its holdings in Aflac by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 342,092 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $37,722,000 after purchasing an additional 3,736 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors grew its stake in shares of Aflac by 59.8% in the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 6,298 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $694,000 after purchasing an additional 2,357 shares during the period. Finally, Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Aflac in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Mizuho set a $107.00 price target on Aflac in a report on Monday, February 9th. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of Aflac in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Aflac from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Aflac from $109.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $120.00 target price on shares of Aflac in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Aflac currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $111.73.

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.