Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan Sells 166,000 Shares of Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Stock

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 166,000 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.38, for a total value of $18,655,080.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 51,723,100 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,812,641,978. The trade was a 0.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Large shareholders that own 10% or more 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 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 value 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 value 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 value of $2,215,020.00.
• On Wednesday, April 1st, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 19,600 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.85, for a total value of $2,153,060.00.
• On Wednesday, March 25th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 14,200 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.03, for a total value of $1,519,826.00.
• 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 Friday, March 20th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 16,800 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.47, for a total value of $1,788,696.00.
• On Thursday, March 19th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 10,100 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was 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 stock was 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 value of $1,723,389.00.

Aflac Trading Down 2.0%

Shares of AFL opened at $110.82 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $111.44 and its 200 day moving average price is $110.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.11, a P/E/G ratio of 3.62 and a beta of 0.66. Aflac Incorporated has a 1-year low of $96.95 and a 1-year high of $119.32. 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 (NYSE:AFL) last issued its quarterly 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 company had revenue of $4.28 billion during 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 company’s revenue for the quarter was down 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.57 EPS. Analysts expect that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Trending Headlines about Aflac

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Evercore upgraded AFL from “strong sell” to “strong buy” — a bullish broker action that can attract buyers and support the stock. Zacks Coverage of Evercore Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised its price target to $115 and kept a “market perform” rating—small incremental upside from current levels that may steady sentiment. Benzinga on KBW PT Raise
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo trimmed its target to $116 but kept an “equal weight” view — a mild model update rather than a clear buy/sell signal. Benzinga on Wells Fargo PT Change
• Neutral Sentiment: Market/valuation discussion and pre‑earnings writeups (Yahoo Finance piece) are highlighting Aflac’s multi‑year run vs. mixed valuation signals — useful context but not an immediate catalyst. Yahoo Finance Valuation Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Small Q1 lobbying disclosure ($62k) was reported — routine regulatory transparency, unlikely to move fundamentals. Quiver Quant Lobbying Update
• Negative Sentiment: UBS cut its price target to $114 and moved to a Neutral rating — a downgrade that likely pressured sentiment and contributed to selling. AmericanBankingNews on UBS PT Cut
• Negative Sentiment: Post Holdings Co., Ltd. Japan (a >10% holder) has executed a string of disclosed share sales under a Rule 10b5‑1 plan (multiple blocks at ~\$109–\$112). The cadence of these sales, while planned and small versus its total stake, is weighing on market sentiment. SEC Filing (Post Holdings Sales)

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AFL has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley set a $120.00 price target on Aflac in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $119.00 price target (up from $110.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Tuesday, December 30th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on Aflac from $113.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Aflac from $118.00 to $116.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Finally, Piper Sandler raised Aflac to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $112.27.

Institutional Trading of Aflac

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AFL. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 13.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 57,142,072 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,301,056,000 after purchasing an additional 6,759,169 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac during the fourth quarter worth approximately $420,078,000. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 1,184.5% during the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,264,090 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $141,199,000 after purchasing an additional 1,165,676 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 390.7% during the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,111,711 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $122,588,000 after purchasing an additional 885,141 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 132.4% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,227,200 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $137,078,000 after purchasing an additional 699,080 shares during the period. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.