Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Price Target Raised to $119.00

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) had its price objective hoisted by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $116.00 to $119.00 in a research note published on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Aflac from $137.00 to $133.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 12th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Aflac in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $103.00 price target for the company. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $125.00 price objective (up from $124.00) on shares of Aflac in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Raymond James Financial raised their price objective on shares of Aflac from $119.00 to $123.00 in a report on Wednesday, August 26th. Finally, Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of Aflac from $116.00 to $107.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Aflac has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $117.20.

Aflac Price Performance

Shares of AFL opened at $119.84 on Thursday. 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 $116.36 and a 200 day simple moving average of $117.20. Aflac has a 52-week low of $105.43 and a 52-week high of $130.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.08 billion, a PE ratio of 12.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.56.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.76 by ($0.01). Aflac had a return on equity of 13.27% and a net margin of 26.91%. The business had revenue of $4.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.11 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.78 earnings per share. Aflac’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Aflac will post 7.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 19th were given a dividend of $0.61 per share. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 19th. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.15%.

Insider Activity

In related news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 55,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.79, for a total transaction of $6,478,450.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 50,247,940 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,918,704,852.60. This trade represents a 0.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 600,051 shares of company stock worth $69,857,667 in the last ninety days. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aflac

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. bought a new stake in Aflac during the 2nd quarter worth about $6,630,000. Atlas Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Aflac during the 1st quarter worth about $1,802,000. Callan Family Office LLC acquired a new position in shares of Aflac during the 2nd quarter worth about $2,546,000. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Aflac by 137.4% during the 2nd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 40,904 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,796,000 after buying an additional 23,677 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp grew its holdings in shares of Aflac by 135.5% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 142,180 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $15,599,000 after acquiring an additional 81,803 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Key Aflac News

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

About Aflac

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.