Analysts Set Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) Price Target at $97.53

Shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) have been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the fifteen brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $97.53.

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Truist Financial boosted their target price on Aflac from $82.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Barclays began coverage on Aflac in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $96.00 price target on the stock. TD Cowen began coverage on Aflac in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. They set a “hold” rating and a $102.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Aflac from $91.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Aflac from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd.

Aflac Trading Down 0.4 %

NYSE:AFL opened at $114.50 on Friday. Aflac has a fifty-two week low of $75.07 and a fifty-two week high of $115.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.10 and a quick ratio of 0.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.06 billion, a PE ratio of 12.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.95. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $109.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $95.98.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The financial services provider reported $1.83 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.60 by $0.23. Aflac had a return on equity of 16.22% and a net margin of 28.35%. The business had revenue of $5.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.10 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.58 EPS. Aflac’s revenue for the quarter was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Aflac will post 6.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 2nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 21st were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 21st. Aflac’s payout ratio is presently 22.08%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Aflac

In other Aflac news, Director Thomas J. Kenny sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.94, for a total value of $197,880.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 18,158 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,796,552.52. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Secure Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Aflac by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC now owns 9,783 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,094,000 after buying an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Ascent Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Aflac by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 17,231 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,539,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the period. Ieq Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Aflac by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 21,775 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,945,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the period. New Century Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Aflac by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. New Century Financial Group LLC now owns 4,198 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $469,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the period. Finally, Forum Financial Management LP lifted its position in shares of Aflac by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 8,337 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $745,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the period. 67.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Aflac

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.