Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Major Shareholder Sells $1,601,700.00 in Stock

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owned 52,046,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,557,557,304. This represents a 0.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Major 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 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 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 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 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 stock was sold at an average price of $110.77, for a total value of $2,115,707.00.

Aflac Price Performance

NYSE AFL traded up $0.41 on Wednesday, reaching $106.61. 250,038 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,397,709. 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 $54.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.50, a P/E/G ratio of 3.50 and a beta of 0.66. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $111.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $110.37. 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 (NYSE:AFL) last announced 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). The firm had revenue of $4.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.45 billion. Aflac had a net margin of 21.24% and a return on equity of 14.35%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.57 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on AFL. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Aflac from $109.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $119.00 target price (up from $110.00) on shares of Aflac in a research report on Tuesday, December 30th. Barclays set a $101.00 price target on Aflac and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Mizuho set a $107.00 price target on shares of Aflac in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $111.73.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. J. Derek Lewis & Associates Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Aflac during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $263,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its stake in Aflac by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 1,061,308 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $117,186,000 after buying an additional 58,018 shares in the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its holdings in Aflac by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 342,092 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $37,722,000 after buying an additional 3,736 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors raised 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 buying an additional 2,357 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Aflac in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. 67.44% of the stock is 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.