Key Points
- Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 166,000 shares of Aflac on April 8 at an average price of $112.38 for about $18.66 million, trimming its stake to 51,723,100 shares (a 0.32% decrease).
- The transaction was executed under a pre‑arranged Rule 10b5‑1 plan and is part of a string of recent sales (multiple blocks around $109–$112); the activity has weighed on sentiment as Aflac shares dipped ~2% while analysts remain mixed, with a consensus Hold and an average target of $112.27.
Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 166,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.38, for a total transaction of $18,655,080.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 51,723,100 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,812,641,978. This represents a 0.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 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 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 transaction 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 transaction 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 transaction 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 transaction 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 transaction 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 transaction 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 transaction 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 stock was sold at an average price of $109.77, for a total transaction of $1,723,389.00.
Aflac Stock Down 2.0%
Shares of NYSE:AFL opened at $110.82 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $111.44 and a 200-day moving average of $110.51. The company has a market capitalization of $57.09 billion, a PE ratio of 16.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.69 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a current ratio of 0.11. Aflac Incorporated has a 52-week low of $96.95 and a 52-week high of $119.32.
Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $1.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.69 by ($0.12). The company had revenue of $4.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.45 billion. Aflac had a return on equity of 14.35% and a net margin of 21.24%.The firm's quarterly revenue was down 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.57 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.
More Aflac News
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)
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of analysts recently weighed in on AFL shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on Aflac from $113.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday. TD Cowen restated a "hold" rating on shares of Aflac in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Evercore upgraded Aflac from a "strong sell" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday. Barclays set a $101.00 price objective on Aflac and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Mizuho set a $107.00 price objective on Aflac in a report on Monday, February 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $112.27.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on Aflac
Institutional Trading of Aflac
A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Aflac by 13.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 57,142,072 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $6,301,056,000 after acquiring an additional 6,759,169 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in Aflac by 1.6% during the fourth 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 last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its position in Aflac by 0.3% during the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 3,926,777 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $438,621,000 after acquiring an additional 13,666 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Aflac during the fourth quarter valued at $420,078,000. Finally, Amundi boosted its position in Aflac by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 2,664,783 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $293,846,000 after acquiring an additional 32,907 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.44% of the company's stock.
About Aflac
(
Get Free Report)
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.
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