Key Points
- Japan Post Holdings Co. Ltd. sold 55,000 Aflac shares at an average price of $117.79, generating $6.48 million. The transaction occurred under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan and reduced its stake by just 0.11%, leaving it with roughly 50.25 million shares.
- Aflac shares rose 1.5% to $119.84, while the company maintains a quarterly dividend of $0.61 per share, or $2.44 annually, yielding approximately 2.0%.
- Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with the stock holding a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $117.20. Aflac’s latest quarterly earnings slightly missed estimates, though revenue exceeded expectations and longer-term EPS forecasts were raised by one analyst.
Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 55,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.79, for a total value of $6,478,450.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 50,247,940 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,918,704,852.60. The trade was a 0.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Large shareholders that own at least 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 Tuesday, October 13th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 42,000 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.38, for a total value of $4,887,960.00.
- 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 value of $1,413,370.00.
- On Friday, October 9th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,000 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.72, for a total value of $1,376,640.00.
- 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 shares were sold at an average price of $112.80, for a total transaction 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 shares were sold at an average price of $112.25, for a total value 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 transaction of $1,469,160.00.
- On Thursday, October 1st, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 11,900 shares of Aflac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.18, for a total transaction of $1,323,042.00.
- On Tuesday, September 29th, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,100 shares of Aflac stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.36, for a total value of $1,371,656.00.
Aflac Stock Up 1.5%
Aflac stock traded up $1.79 on Friday, hitting $119.84. 1,908,285 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,950,704. The firm has a market cap of $60.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a current ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 0.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Aflac Incorporated has a 1 year low of $105.43 and a 1 year high of $130.22. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $116.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $117.20.
Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 earnings per share (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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.11 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.78 earnings per share. Aflac's revenue for the quarter was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.04 earnings per share for the current year.
Aflac Dividend Announcement
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 19th were paid 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 2.0%. Aflac's payout ratio is currently 26.15%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several brokerages recently issued reports on AFL. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Aflac from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Wall Street Zen cut Aflac from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, August 15th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Aflac from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (a-)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Wolfe Research began coverage on Aflac in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. They set an "underperform" rating and a $103.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Aflac from $122.00 to $116.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $117.20.
View Our Latest Report on AFL
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aflac
Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AFL. Kintegral Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of Aflac by 0.6% during the third quarter. Kintegral Advisory LLC now owns 40,354 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $4,511,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares in the last quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. boosted its stake in Aflac by 54.9% during the third quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 2,935 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $326,000 after buying an additional 1,040 shares during the last quarter. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in Aflac by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,784 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $535,000 after buying an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. NFSG Corp raised its holdings in shares of Aflac by 43.0% during the 3rd quarter. NFSG Corp now owns 589 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $66,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Aflac by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 93,501 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $10,452,000 after acquiring an additional 3,050 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.44% of the company's stock.
Key Headlines Impacting Aflac
Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:
- Positive Sentiment: DOWLING & PARTN raised its Aflac EPS estimates to $7.65 for fiscal 2027 from $7.55 and to $8.25 for fiscal 2028 from $8.05. The revisions suggest improving confidence in Aflac’s future earnings growth and provide a bullish counterpoint to the current-year consensus estimate of $7.04. Aflac analyst earnings estimates
- Positive Sentiment: AM Best affirmed the credit ratings of Aflac and its subsidiaries, supporting investor confidence in the insurer’s financial strength, balance sheet and ability to meet policyholder obligations. AM Best affirms Aflac credit ratings
- Neutral Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target for Aflac to $119 from $116 while maintaining a “neutral” rating. Because the new target is close to recent trading levels and implies limited upside, the revision is modestly supportive but does not represent a strong bullish call. JPMorgan raises Aflac price target
- Negative Sentiment: Japan Post Holdings Co. Ltd. continued selling Aflac shares, including 55,000 shares on October 14 and 42,000 shares on October 13. The sales were made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan and reduced its enormous position only slightly, limiting the fundamental impact. However, the repeated transactions could weigh on sentiment by signaling ongoing shareholder selling pressure. Aflac shareholder SEC filing
Aflac Company Profile
(
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.
Featured Articles
This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from InsiderTrades.com in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected].
