Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Reaches New 12-Month High at $95.88

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) shares reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $95.88 and last traded at $95.84, with a volume of 61044 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $94.54.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on AFL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Aflac from $80.00 to $83.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. StockNews.com raised Aflac from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Aflac from $84.00 to $83.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, June 28th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on Aflac from $83.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their target price on Aflac from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, June 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Aflac currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $86.46.

Aflac Stock Up 1.2 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 0.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $54.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.95. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $89.94 and a two-hundred day moving average of $85.31.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last posted its earnings results on Monday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.58 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.09 billion. Aflac had a return on equity of 16.88% and a net margin of 27.67%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 13.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.55 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 22nd were given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 21st. This is an increase from Aflac’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.09%. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.08%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Aflac

In other news, Director Charles D. Lake II sold 22,378 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.47, for a total transaction 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.84, for a total transaction of $50,904.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 27,550 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,337,342. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Charles D. Lake II sold 22,378 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.47, for a total value of $1,957,403.66. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 61,522 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,381,329.34. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aflac

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. TriaGen Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Aflac by 3.6% in the second quarter. TriaGen Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,377 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $302,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares during the period. Jaffetilchin Investment Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Aflac by 1.7% during the first quarter. Jaffetilchin Investment Partners LLC now owns 7,254 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $623,000 after acquiring an additional 121 shares during the period. Burns Matteson Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Aflac by 4.1% during the second quarter. Burns Matteson Capital Management LLC now owns 3,077 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $275,000 after acquiring an additional 121 shares during the period. Flputnam Investment Management Co. lifted its holdings in Aflac by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co. now owns 25,031 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,065,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares during the period. Finally, ICA Group Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Aflac by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,974 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $245,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

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.