Aflac (AFL) – Investment Analysts’ Weekly Ratings Updates

Aflac (NYSE: AFL) has recently received a number of price target changes and ratings updates:

• 8/19/2024 – Aflac had its price target raised by analysts at Morgan Stanley from $91.00 to $98.00. They now have an “equal weight” rating on the stock.
• 8/14/2024 – Aflac had its price target raised by analysts at UBS Group AG from $84.00 to $109.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 8/12/2024 – Aflac had its price target raised by analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $81.00 to $90.00. They now have an “equal weight” rating on the stock.
• 8/2/2024 – Aflac had its price target raised by analysts at Truist Financial Co. from $82.00 to $100.00. They now have a “hold” rating on the stock.
• 8/1/2024 – Aflac had its price target raised by analysts at Bank of America Co. from $105.00 to $108.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 7/23/2024 – Aflac had its price target raised by analysts at Citigroup Inc. from $84.00 to $93.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 7/11/2024 – Aflac had its price target raised by analysts at Bank of America Co. from $95.00 to $105.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 7/2/2024 – Aflac had its price target raised by analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $80.00 to $83.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 6/28/2024 – Aflac had its price target raised by analysts at Piper Sandler from $95.00 to $100.00. They now have an “overweight” rating on the stock.
• 6/28/2024 – Aflac had its price target lowered by analysts at Jefferies Financial Group Inc. from $84.00 to $83.00. They now have a “hold” rating on the stock.

Aflac Price Performance

AFL opened at $106.61 on Friday. Aflac Incorporated has a one year low of $72.78 and a one year high of $106.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.10 and a quick ratio of 0.08. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $94.74 and its 200-day simple moving average is $87.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $60.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.95.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The financial services provider reported $1.83 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.60 by $0.23. Aflac had a net margin of 28.35% and a return on equity of 16.22%. The business had revenue of $5.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.10 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.58 earnings per share. Aflac’s revenue was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 2nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 21st. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.88%. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.08%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Aflac

In other Aflac news, Director Thomas J. Kenny sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were 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. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aflac

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Y.D. More Investments Ltd bought a new position in shares of Aflac during the second quarter worth $25,000. Atwood & Palmer Inc. boosted its position in shares of Aflac by 80.0% during the first quarter. Atwood & Palmer Inc. now owns 315 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Aflac during the first quarter worth $29,000. Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac during the first quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Sachetta LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. 67.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.