Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) Receives $116.62 Consensus PT from Analysts

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) has been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the fourteen brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $116.6154.

AFL has been the subject of several analyst reports. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $110.00 price objective (up from $101.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Aflac from $117.00 to $116.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Mizuho set a $116.00 price target on Aflac in a report on Monday, August 10th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and set a $108.00 price objective (up from $100.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $124.00 target price (up from $114.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th.

Key Headlines Impacting Aflac

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Aflac’s dividend increase and valuation near 12 times earnings support its appeal to income-focused and defensive investors. The company’s annualized dividend is $2.44 per share, with a payout ratio near 26%. Aflac valuation and dividend article
• Positive Sentiment: Aflac launched a cancer-screening awareness campaign with fashion designer Rachel Zoe, using a scannable jacket design to encourage screenings. The initiative reinforces Aflac’s cancer-insurance brand, although it is unlikely to materially affect near-term earnings. Aflac and Rachel Zoe campaign
• Neutral Sentiment: Aflac President Virgil Miller and former athlete Brian Jordan visited a St. Louis children’s hospital to support families affected by cancer and sickle cell disease. The charitable event may strengthen brand goodwill but has no clear immediate financial impact. Aflac hospital outreach event
• Negative Sentiment: Japan Post Holdings, Aflac’s major shareholder, sold another 12,800 shares for approximately $1.49 million after several similar sales in September. The latest transaction reduced its stake by only 0.03% and was conducted under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, limiting its significance but potentially creating a near-term supply overhang. SEC filing on Japan Post Holdings sale
• Negative Sentiment: Aflac’s latest quarterly results were mixed: earnings of $1.75 per share narrowly missed the $1.76 consensus estimate, revenue of $4.22 billion exceeded forecasts but declined 1% year over year, and EPS fell from $1.78 in the prior-year quarter. This has tempered enthusiasm despite strong profitability and dividend growth. Aflac earnings and revenue report

Aflac Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AFL opened at $114.62 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $120.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $116.51. Aflac has a 52 week low of $105.43 and a 52 week high of $130.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 0.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.29, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.59.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last released 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 return on equity of 13.27% and a net margin of 26.91%.The company had revenue of $4.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.11 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.78 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Aflac will post 7.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 19th were given a $0.61 dividend. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 19th. Aflac’s payout ratio is 26.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Aflac news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,800 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.22, for a total transaction of $1,487,616.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 50,531,490 shares in the company, valued at $5,872,769,767.80. This represents a 0.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Masatoshi Koide sold 13,201 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.01, for a total value of $1,557,850.01. Following the sale, the director directly owned 76,422 shares in the company, valued at $9,018,560.22. This trade represents a 14.73% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 340,801 shares of company stock valued at $40,040,762 in the last quarter. 0.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Employees Retirement System of Texas acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac during the fourth quarter worth about $3,743,000. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. purchased a new stake in Aflac during the second quarter worth approximately $6,630,000. Atlas Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Aflac during the 1st quarter worth $1,802,000. Callan Family Office LLC purchased a new position in Aflac during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,546,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its stake in Aflac by 135.5% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 142,180 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $15,599,000 after purchasing an additional 81,803 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

About Aflac

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.