Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Major Shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan Sells 19,300 Shares

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 19,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.96, for a total value of $2,141,528.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 52,241,500 shares in the company, valued at $5,796,716,840. This trade represents a 0.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible 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.

Aflac Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of Aflac stock opened at $110.09 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $56.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.00, a P/E/G ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Aflac Incorporated has a 12-month low of $96.95 and a 12-month high of $119.32. The business’s 50 day moving average is $111.70 and its 200-day moving average is $110.28.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $1.57 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.45 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.57 earnings per share. Aflac’s quarterly revenue was down 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on AFL shares. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $119.00 target price (up from $110.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Tuesday, December 30th. Mizuho set a $107.00 price target on Aflac in a report on Monday, February 9th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Aflac in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Morgan Stanley set a $120.00 price objective on Aflac in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $111.73.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. 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 acquiring an additional 6,759,169 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Aflac during the second quarter worth approximately $432,201,000. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Aflac by 1,184.5% during the 3rd 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 last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its holdings in Aflac by 390.7% during the 4th 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 last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in Aflac by 132.4% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,227,200 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $137,078,000 after purchasing an additional 699,080 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.