Key Points
- Japan Post Holdings sold 12,900 Aflac shares for approximately $1.50 million at an average price of $116.58, while retaining more than 50.5 million shares. The transaction reduced its ownership by just 0.03% and was conducted under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan.
- Aflac’s shares opened at $115.19, with a market capitalization of approximately $57.75 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.35. Analysts collectively maintain a “Hold” rating with an average price target of $116.62.
- The company reported mixed quarterly results: earnings of $1.75 per share narrowly missed estimates, while revenue of $4.22 billion exceeded expectations but declined 1% year over year. Aflac continues to offer a quarterly dividend of $0.61 per share, representing a 2.1% annualized yield.
Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,900 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.58, for a total transaction of $1,503,882.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 50,544,290 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,892,453,328.20. This trade represents a 0.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Large shareholders that own more than 10% of a company's stock are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.
Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan also recently made the following trade(s):
- On Wednesday, September 16th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,800 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.49, for a total value of $1,621,362.00.
- On Monday, September 14th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,600 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.74, for a total value of $1,587,664.00.
- On Friday, September 11th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 14,000 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.14, for a total value of $1,611,960.00.
- On Thursday, September 10th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,300 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.32, for a total value of $1,520,456.00.
- On Tuesday, September 8th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,600 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.44, for a total value of $1,569,984.00.
- On Friday, September 4th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 15,000 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.47, for a total value of $1,762,050.00.
- On Thursday, September 3rd, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 20,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.49, for a total value of $2,369,800.00.
- On Wednesday, September 2nd, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,500 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.19, for a total value of $1,582,065.00.
- On Tuesday, September 1st, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,800 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.77, for a total transaction of $1,481,856.00.
- On Monday, August 31st, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,700 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.00, for a total transaction of $1,473,200.00.
Aflac Stock Down 1.0%
Shares of Aflac stock opened at $115.19 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.12 and a quick ratio of 0.12. The stock has a market cap of $57.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.35, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.59. The firm's 50-day moving average is $120.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $116.50. Aflac Incorporated has a 1 year low of $105.43 and a 1 year high of $130.22.
Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.76 by ($0.01). Aflac had a net margin of 26.91% and a return on equity of 13.27%. The business had revenue of $4.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.11 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.78 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Aflac Announces Dividend
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 19th were issued a dividend of $0.61 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 19th. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Aflac's dividend payout ratio is currently 26.15%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on AFL. Weiss Ratings downgraded Aflac from a "buy (a-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. Mizuho set a $116.00 price objective on Aflac in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $108.00 price objective (up from $100.00) on shares of Aflac in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Barclays reiterated an "underweight" rating and issued a $99.00 target price (up from $98.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of Aflac from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $116.62.
View Our Latest Stock Report on Aflac
Key Stories Impacting Aflac
Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Aflac’s latest report included another dividend increase, which reinforces the company’s income-oriented investment appeal. Shares also trade at a relatively moderate valuation of roughly 12 times projected earnings. Is Aflac Fairly Valued Following Mixed Earnings and Another Dividend Increase?
- Positive Sentiment: Aflac’s customer-experience strategy emphasizes using artificial intelligence selectively while preserving human interaction when appropriate, potentially supporting customer trust and service quality over the long term. Aflac’s Customer Experience Strategy
- Neutral Sentiment: Japan Post Holdings sold additional Aflac shares but retained more than 50.5 million shares. The sales were executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, and one disclosed transaction reduced its ownership by only 0.03%, limiting the significance of the activity. Japan Post Holdings Executes Two Aflac Stock Sales
- Negative Sentiment: Several insider-sale disclosures, including transactions by a major shareholder and a director worth approximately $1.5 million to $1.6 million each, may create a near-term supply and confidence overhang even though the sales were not necessarily discretionary signals about Aflac’s outlook. Aflac Major Shareholder Sells Stock Aflac Director Sells Stock
- Negative Sentiment: The latest quarterly results were mixed: earnings per share slightly missed consensus, revenue exceeded expectations but declined year over year, and EPS was below the comparable period. This combination has limited enthusiasm despite Aflac’s profitability and dividend growth. Aflac Mixed Earnings and Valuation
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aflac
Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Compound Planning Inc. increased its stake in shares of Aflac by 0.7% in the first quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 13,743 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,508,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC lifted its position in Aflac by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 2,119 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $234,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the period. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC lifted its position in Aflac by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 7,702 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $902,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the period. Studio Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Aflac by 1.3% in the second quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC now owns 7,650 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $897,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lcnb Corp boosted its holdings in Aflac by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Lcnb Corp now owns 2,044 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $225,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.44% of the company's stock.
Aflac Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
Aflac Incorporated is an insurance company that provides supplemental health and life insurance products. Its coverage is designed to help policyholders manage expenses that may not be fully covered by major medical insurance, including costs associated with accidents, illness, hospitalization, disability and critical illness.
Through its U.S. operations, Aflac markets policies to individuals, businesses and employees through workplace benefit programs, independent agents and brokers. The company is also a major provider of supplemental insurance in Japan, where it offers products focused primarily on cancer, medical and income-support coverage.
Founded in 1955 in Columbus, Georgia, as American Family Life Assurance Company, the business adopted the name Aflac in 1990.
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