Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Major Shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan Sells 20,100 Shares

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 20,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.20, for a total value of $2,215,020.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 51,934,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,723,214,960. This represents a 0.04% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Major shareholders that own more than 10% 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 Wednesday, April 1st, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 19,600 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were 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 shares were 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 shares were 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 shares were 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 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 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 shares were sold at an average price of $109.14, for a total value 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 value 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.

Aflac Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE AFL opened at $110.22 on Tuesday. Aflac Incorporated has a 12 month low of $96.95 and a 12 month high of $119.32. The company has a market cap of $56.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.02, a P/E/G ratio of 3.62 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. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $111.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $110.44.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $1.57 EPS 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 company had revenue of $4.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.45 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.57 earnings per share. The company’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 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aflac

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. J. Derek Lewis & Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac during the 4th quarter worth about $263,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its stake 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 worth $117,186,000 after purchasing an additional 58,018 shares in the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. raised its stake in shares of Aflac by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 342,092 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $37,722,000 after purchasing an additional 3,736 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors raised its stake in shares of Aflac by 59.8% during the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 6,298 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $694,000 after purchasing an additional 2,357 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. 67.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AFL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $113.00 price objective on shares of Aflac in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. Barclays set a $101.00 price objective on Aflac and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $119.00 price objective (up from $110.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Tuesday, December 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Aflac from $101.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $120.00 price objective on Aflac in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $112.00.

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.