Key Points
- Japan Post Holdings sold 12,000 Aflac shares at an average price of $114.72, generating $1.38 million. The transaction was conducted under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan and reduced its stake by only 0.02%, leaving it with roughly 50.36 million shares.
- Aflac shares opened at $118.09, with a market capitalization of approximately $59.2 billion and a P/E ratio of 12.66. The company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.61, equivalent to a 2.1% annualized yield.
- In its latest quarterly report, Aflac posted $1.75 in adjusted earnings per share—slightly below analyst expectations—while revenue of $4.22 billion exceeded estimates; revenue declined 1% year over year. Analysts have an overall “Hold” rating with an average price target of $117.
Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,000 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction on Friday, October 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.72, for a total value of $1,376,640.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 50,357,140 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,776,971,100.80. The trade was a 0.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Large shareholders that own 10% or more 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 Monday, October 12th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,200 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.85, for a total transaction of $1,413,370.00.
- On Thursday, October 8th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,000 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.45, for a total transaction of $1,487,850.00.
- On Wednesday, October 7th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,000 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.80, for a total value of $1,353,600.00.
- On Tuesday, October 6th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,050 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.49, for a total value of $1,481,044.50.
- On Monday, October 5th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,000 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.25, for a total transaction of $1,459,250.00.
- On Friday, October 2nd, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,200 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.30, for a total value of $1,469,160.00.
- On Thursday, October 1st, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 11,900 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.18, for a total value of $1,323,042.00.
- On Tuesday, September 29th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,100 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.36, for a total transaction of $1,371,656.00.
- On Monday, September 28th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,000 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.63, for a total transaction of $1,363,560.00.
- On Thursday, September 24th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,100 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.64, for a total value of $1,387,144.00.
Aflac Trading Up 1.4%
Shares of AFL stock opened at $118.09 on Thursday. Aflac Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $105.43 and a fifty-two week high of $130.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.12 and a current ratio of 0.12. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $116.63 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $117.10. The company has a market cap of $59.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.66, a PEG ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.56.
Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $4.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.11 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.78 EPS. Aflac's revenue for the quarter was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.04 earnings per share for the current year.
Aflac Announces Dividend
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 19th were issued a $0.61 dividend. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 19th. Aflac's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.15%.
Key Headlines Impacting Aflac
Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:
- Positive Sentiment: AM Best affirmed the credit ratings of Aflac and its subsidiaries, reinforcing confidence in the insurer’s financial strength and ability to meet policyholder obligations. AM Best Affirms Aflac Credit Ratings
- Positive Sentiment: Bank of America maintained a Buy rating while lowering its price target from $137 to $133. The revised target still indicates meaningful potential upside from recent trading levels. Bank of America Aflac Price Target
- Positive Sentiment: Aflac’s latest WorkForces Report found continued employee financial vulnerability and rising interest in benefits education, including use of artificial intelligence. Those trends could support long-term demand for supplemental insurance products. Aflac WorkForces Report
- Neutral Sentiment: Japan Post Holdings sold additional Aflac shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The reported transactions reduced its ownership by only about 0.02%–0.03% each, limiting their immediate impact, although repeated sales may attract investor attention.
- Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo cut its Aflac price target from $122 to $116 and retained an Equal Weight rating, signaling limited near-term upside at recent levels. Wells Fargo Aflac Price Target
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aflac
Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AFL. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its holdings in Aflac by 347.8% in the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 824 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $92,000 after buying an additional 640 shares during the period. Columbus Macro LLC grew its stake in Aflac by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Columbus Macro LLC now owns 72,528 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $8,107,000 after buying an additional 806 shares in the last quarter. Virginia Wealth Management Group Inc. grew its stake in Aflac by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Virginia Wealth Management Group Inc. now owns 42,506 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $4,751,000 after buying an additional 318 shares in the last quarter. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in Aflac by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC now owns 28,069 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,138,000 after buying an additional 480 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lodestone Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Aflac by 28.2% during the 3rd quarter. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,467 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $164,000 after acquiring an additional 323 shares during the period. 67.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Aflac from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, August 15th. Evercore increased their price objective on shares of Aflac from $109.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Barclays reiterated an "underweight" rating and issued a $101.00 price objective (up from $99.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Aflac from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Finally, UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $125.00 target price (up from $124.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Aflac presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $117.00.
View Our Latest Stock Report on Aflac
About Aflac
(
Get Free Report)
Aflac Incorporated (NYSE: AFL) is an insurance company that provides supplemental health and life insurance products to individuals, employers and groups. Its coverage is designed to help policyholders manage expenses that may not be fully covered by major medical insurance, including costs associated with illness, injury and other qualifying events.
The company's products include accident, cancer, critical illness, hospital indemnity, disability, dental, vision and life insurance. Aflac distributes its policies through workplace benefits programs, independent agents, brokers and other distribution channels.
Founded in 1955 as American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus, Aflac has its headquarters in Columbus, Georgia.
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