Analysts Set Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) PT at $102.67

Shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) have earned an average rating of “Hold” from the fifteen analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have assigned a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $102.67.

AFL has been the subject of several recent research reports. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Aflac from $96.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of Aflac from $114.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of Aflac from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Aflac from $90.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their target price on shares of Aflac from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th.

Aflac Price Performance

Aflac stock opened at $107.39 on Friday. Aflac has a 52-week low of $75.07 and a 52-week high of $115.50. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $105.81 and a 200-day moving average of $106.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $59.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.17, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 0.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.69 by $0.47. Aflac had a net margin of 22.02% and a return on equity of 16.34%. The company had revenue of $2.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.30 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.84 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 40.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Aflac will post 7.26 EPS for the current year.

Aflac Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be given a $0.58 dividend. This is an increase from Aflac’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 19th. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Audrey B. Tillman sold 24,744 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.40, for a total value of $2,558,529.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 222,618 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,018,701.20. This trade represents a 10.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Aflac

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of AFL. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Aflac during the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Raelipskie Partnership acquired a new position in Aflac during the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. Covestor Ltd increased its stake in Aflac by 41.8% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 363 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the period. Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new position in Aflac during the 3rd quarter valued at about $45,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Aflac during the 3rd quarter valued at about $51,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

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.