Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Receives New Coverage from Analysts at TD Cowen

TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Aflac (NYSE:AFL) in a research note published on Wednesday, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage issued a hold rating and a $102.00 price objective on the financial services provider’s stock.

A number of other analysts have also commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Aflac from $91.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research report on Monday, August 19th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Aflac from $84.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. Citigroup raised their price objective on Aflac from $84.00 to $93.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Bank of America upped their target price on Aflac from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Aflac from $81.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $97.53.

Aflac Price Performance

AFL stock opened at $113.26 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $107.90 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $94.90. Aflac has a 1 year low of $75.07 and a 1 year high of $115.50. The stock has a market cap of $64.36 billion, a PE ratio of 12.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a current ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 0.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

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

Aflac Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 2nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 21st were issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 21st. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.77%. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.08%.

Insider Transactions at Aflac

In related news, Director Thomas J. Kenny sold 2,000 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.94, for a total transaction of $197,880.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 18,158 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,796,552.52. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aflac

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Y.D. More Investments Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Aflac in the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Atwood & Palmer Inc. raised its stake in Aflac by 80.0% in the 1st 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 stake in Aflac in the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Aflac during the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Cedar Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac in the first quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Institutional investors 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.