Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) has been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the fourteen brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have given a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $110.6667.

Several analysts have issued reports on AFL shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Aflac from $108.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Aflac from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Morgan Stanley set a $120.00 target price on shares of Aflac in a report on Monday, December 15th. Barclays set a $101.00 price target on shares of Aflac and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday, December 22nd.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Frederic Jean Guy Simard sold 1,722 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.50, for a total value of $193,725.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 1,364 shares in the company, valued at $153,450. This trade represents a 55.80% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Steven Kent Beaver sold 5,492 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.53, for a total value of $601,538.76. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 38,368 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,202,447.04. This represents a 12.52% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 31,766 shares of company stock worth $3,549,706 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aflac

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. True Wealth Design LLC increased its stake in shares of Aflac by 188.5% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 225 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares during the period. Mid American Wealth Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Chilton Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Aflac during the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Aflac by 1,526.7% in the second quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 244 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares during the period. Finally, Hilltop National Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac in the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Stock Down 0.0%

Aflac stock traded down $0.05 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $109.57. 6,139,904 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,764,035. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a current ratio of 0.11. The company has a market cap of $57.42 billion, a PE ratio of 14.30, a P/E/G ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 0.67. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $110.46 and a two-hundred day moving average of $107.81. Aflac has a 12 month low of $96.95 and a 12 month high of $115.83.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.49 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.77 by $0.72. Aflac had a net margin of 23.55% and a return on equity of 14.97%. The firm had revenue of $4.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.36 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.16 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 59.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Aflac will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 2nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.61 per share. This is a positive change from Aflac’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 18th. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.85%.

Aflac Company Profile

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.