Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan Sells 15,000 Shares of Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Stock

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.78, for a total value of $1,601,700.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 52,046,800 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,557,557,304. The trade was a 0.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Large shareholders that own 10% or more 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 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 transaction 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 transaction of $1,322,846.00.
• On Tuesday, March 17th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 15,700 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.77, for a total value 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 value of $1,982,493.00.
• On Tuesday, March 10th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 19,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were 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 stock was sold at an average price of $109.62, for a total value of $1,896,426.00.
• On Friday, March 6th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 19,100 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.77, for a total value of $2,115,707.00.

Aflac Price Performance

Aflac stock opened at $108.13 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a current ratio of 0.11. The company has a market cap of $55.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.72, a PEG ratio of 3.51 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 firm has a 50 day moving average price of $111.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $110.33.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 analyst estimates of $4.45 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.57 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on AFL shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Aflac in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $119.00 price target (up from $110.00) on shares of Aflac in a research report on Tuesday, December 30th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $113.00 price target on shares of Aflac in a research note on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Aflac from $101.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Barclays set a $101.00 price objective on shares of Aflac and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned 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 an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $112.00.

Key Aflac News

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Keefe Bruyette & Woods re‑initiated coverage on Aflac with a Market Perform rating and a $113 price target — a small analyst‑driven tailwind given that the PT sits above recent trade and may support buying interest. KBW Starts Aflac at Market Perform
• Neutral Sentiment: Aflac signed an NIL marketing deal with South Carolina guard Raven Johnson — positive for brand visibility in the U.S. but unlikely to materially affect near‑term financials. Aflac NIL Deal
• Neutral Sentiment: Consumer/financial commentary pieces (e.g., budgeting advice referencing Aflac) are appearing but are informational rather than company‑moving. Budgeting Article
• Negative Sentiment: Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan — a major shareholder — has been steadily selling Aflac shares across multiple days in March (small percentage reductions but sizable dollar amounts), which can pressure sentiment and weigh on the stock if the selling continues. Insider Selling by Post Holdings
• Negative Sentiment: Recent quarterly results (Feb. 4) showed EPS in line with last year but below consensus and revenue declined ~9.6% year‑over‑year — fundamentals that cap upside and keep analyst sentiment mixed. Aflac Earnings and Stats

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aflac

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position 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 last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Aflac by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,483,205 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $494,385,000 after acquiring an additional 69,025 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in Aflac by 16.7% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,167,886 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $439,545,000 after acquiring an additional 594,971 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Aflac in the second quarter worth $432,201,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc lifted its holdings in Aflac by 0.3% in the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 3,926,777 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $438,621,000 after purchasing an additional 13,666 shares during the period. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.