Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) have earned an average rating of “Hold” from the twelve research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $110.9091.

AFL has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley set a $120.00 target price on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Aflac from $107.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Aflac in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Mizuho set a $107.00 target price on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday. Finally, Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $119.00 price target (up from $110.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Tuesday, December 30th.

Aflac Price Performance

NYSE AFL opened at $113.30 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a current ratio of 0.11. The stock has a market cap of $59.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.47, a PEG ratio of 3.83 and a beta of 0.67. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $110.19 and a 200 day simple moving average of $108.81. Aflac has a 52-week low of $96.95 and a 52-week high of $119.32.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $1.57 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.69 by ($0.12). Aflac had a net margin of 21.24% and a return on equity of 14.35%. The company had revenue of $4.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.45 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.57 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Aflac will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Aflac

In related news, EVP Steven Kent Beaver sold 5,492 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.53, for a total value of $601,538.76. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 38,368 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,202,447.04. This trade represents a 12.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Audrey B. Tillman sold 15,862 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.00, for a total value of $1,776,544.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 230,688 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,837,056. This trade represents a 6.43% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 29,044 shares of company stock valued at $3,241,981. 0.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AFL. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 188.5% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 225 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC grew its position in Aflac by 1,526.7% in the second quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 244 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 229 shares during the last quarter. Chilton Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Aflac in the second quarter worth about $26,000. Mid American Wealth Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Finally, Navalign LLC acquired a new position in Aflac during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. 67.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Aflac

Aflac Incorporated (American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus) is a provider of supplemental insurance products designed to help policyholders manage out-of-pocket health care and living expenses. The company underwrites a range of individual and group policies that typically pay cash benefits directly to insureds when covered events occur, enabling greater financial flexibility for medical treatment, hospital stays, critical illness, and related costs. Aflac’s product mix includes supplemental health insurance, life insurance and other specialty coverages intended to complement primary medical plans.

Founded in the mid-20th century and headquartered in Columbus, Georgia, Aflac distributes its products through a combination of employer-sponsored programs, independent brokers and agents, and direct marketing.