Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Analyst Says

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) had its price objective increased by research analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $120.00 to $125.00 in a report released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “market perform” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods’ price target would suggest a potential upside of 2.73% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Aflac from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded Aflac from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Mizuho set a $116.00 price objective on Aflac in a report on Monday. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $99.00 price objective (up from $98.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Friday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and set a $108.00 price target (up from $100.00) on shares of Aflac in a research report on Friday, July 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $117.67.

Aflac Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AFL opened at $121.68 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $120.91 and its 200 day simple moving average is $115.50. Aflac has a fifty-two week low of $103.28 and a fifty-two week high of $130.22. The company has a market capitalization of $61.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.12 and a quick ratio of 0.11.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.76 by ($0.01). Aflac had a return on equity of 13.27% and a net margin of 26.91%.The firm had revenue of $4.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.11 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.78 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Aflac will post 7.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 12,370 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.54, for a total transaction of $1,441,599.80. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 33,310 shares in the company, valued at $3,881,947.40. This represents a 27.08% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 27,845 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.71, for a total transaction of $3,249,789.95. Following the transaction, the insider owned 50,898,490 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,940,362,767.90. This represents a 0.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 695,673 shares of company stock worth $81,436,614 in the last three months. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Aflac

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Trillium Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Aflac during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $15,219,000. Sachem Hill LLC bought a new position in Aflac during the second quarter worth $321,000. Somerville Kurt F acquired a new position in Aflac in the second quarter valued at $504,000. MSH Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Aflac in the second quarter valued at $209,000. Finally, Northcape Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Aflac during the second quarter valued at $363,000. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.