Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) have received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the twelve ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have given a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $82.38.

AFL has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on Aflac from $83.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Aflac from $81.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 10th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Aflac from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Aflac from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Aflac from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 3rd.

Insider Buying and Selling at Aflac

In other Aflac news, Director Thomas J. Kenny sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.62, for a total value of $423,100.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 17,920 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,516,390.40. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other news, Director Thomas J. Kenny sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.62, for a total value of $423,100.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,920 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,516,390.40. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Charles D. Lake II sold 22,378 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.47, for a total value of $1,957,403.66. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 61,522 shares in the company, valued at $5,381,329.34. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 27,978 shares of company stock worth $2,431,408. Insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Fortitude Family Office LLC acquired a new position in shares of Aflac in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Atwood & Palmer Inc. raised its stake in Aflac by 80.0% during the 1st quarter. Atwood & Palmer Inc. now owns 315 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the period. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in Aflac during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new position in Aflac during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Criterion Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Aflac during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. 67.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Aflac Price Performance

Aflac stock opened at $87.04 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.08 and a current ratio of 0.08. Aflac has a 52 week low of $66.58 and a 52 week high of $89.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.96. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $85.49 and a 200-day moving average of $83.34.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.58 by $0.08. Aflac had a return on equity of 16.88% and a net margin of 27.67%. The company had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.09 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.55 EPS. Aflac’s revenue was up 13.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Aflac will post 6.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 22nd were given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 21st. This is a positive change from Aflac’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. Aflac’s payout ratio is 22.08%.

Aflac Company Profile

Aflac Incorporated, through its subsidiaries, provides supplemental health and life insurance products. The company operates through Aflac Japan and Aflac U.S. segments. The Aflac Japan segment offers cancer, medical, nursing care, work leave, GIFT, and whole and term life insurance products, as well as WAYS and child endowment plans under saving type insurance products in Japan.