Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) has been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the twelve analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $112.2727.

Several equities analysts have recently commented on AFL shares. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Aflac from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Aflac from $116.00 to $111.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Aflac from $116.00 to $114.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on Aflac from $113.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Barclays set a $99.00 price objective on Aflac and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th.

Aflac News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Aflac continues to be viewed as a dependable income stock, supported by 44 consecutive years of dividend growth and a recently paid quarterly dividend of $0.61 per share. The “Duck Stock” Keeps Quietly Making Money for Shareholders
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain constructive enough to keep Aflac on the radar as a stable insurance name, with recent commentary highlighting reliable returns from dividends, buybacks, and supplemental insurance growth. 3 Insurance Stocks Hitting 52-Week Highs With More Room to Run
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent market coverage describes Aflac as a steady, low-volatility insurer, but also suggests the stock’s quality may already be fairly priced in, limiting near-term upside. 4 Stocks Making New Highs Despite Market Weakness
• Negative Sentiment: Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan has continued trimming its Aflac stake through a series of insider sales in June, which may create some investor concern even though the trades were disclosed under a 10b5-1 plan. SEC Filing

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Aflac news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 26,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.00, for a total value of $3,100,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 51,116,235 shares in the company, valued at $5,980,599,495. This represents a 0.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 936,356 shares of company stock valued at $107,019,534 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aflac

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Aflac during the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Groupe la Francaise acquired a new stake in Aflac during the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Aflac during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC acquired a new stake in Aflac during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Evergreen Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Aflac during the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Aflac Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of Aflac stock opened at $117.56 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The firm has a market cap of $59.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.61. Aflac has a fifty-two week low of $96.95 and a fifty-two week high of $119.81. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $114.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $112.01.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.80 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. Aflac had a net margin of 25.60% and a return on equity of 13.88%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 27.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.66 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Aflac will post 7.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 20th were given a $0.61 dividend. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 20th. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio is 27.70%.

About Aflac

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.