Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Stock Gets Price Target Trim from Bank of America

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) had its target price lowered by Bank of America from $137.00 to $133.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday morning. Bank of America currently has a buy rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on AFL. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $125.00 price target (up from $124.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on Aflac from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 9th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Aflac in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $103.00 price objective for the company. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $110.00 price objective (up from $101.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Aflac from $117.00 to $116.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Aflac currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $117.00.

Aflac Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AFL opened at $118.09 on Monday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $116.63 and its 200 day moving average price is $117.10. Aflac has a 12 month low of $105.43 and a 12 month high of $130.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.12 and a quick ratio of 0.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $59.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.56.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.76 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $4.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.11 billion. Aflac had a return on equity of 13.27% and a net margin of 26.91%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.78 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Aflac will post 7.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 19th were issued a $0.61 dividend. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 19th. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Aflac

In related news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.85, for a total transaction of $1,413,370.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 50,344,940 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,832,461,299. This trade represents a 0.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 503,051 shares of company stock worth $58,491,257 in the last three months. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aflac

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac in the second quarter worth about $6,630,000. Atlas Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Aflac during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,802,000. Callan Family Office LLC purchased a new position in shares of Aflac during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $2,546,000. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Aflac by 137.4% during the 2nd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 40,904 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,796,000 after buying an additional 23,677 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp grew its position in shares of Aflac by 135.5% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 142,180 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $15,599,000 after buying an additional 81,803 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Aflac News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AM Best affirmed the credit ratings of Aflac and its subsidiaries, reinforcing confidence in the insurer’s financial strength and ability to meet policyholder obligations. AM Best Affirms Aflac Credit Ratings
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America maintained a Buy rating while lowering its price target from $137 to $133. The revised target still indicates meaningful potential upside from recent trading levels. Bank of America Aflac Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Aflac’s latest WorkForces Report found continued employee financial vulnerability and rising interest in benefits education, including use of artificial intelligence. Those trends could support long-term demand for supplemental insurance products. Aflac WorkForces Report
• Neutral Sentiment: Japan Post Holdings sold additional Aflac shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The reported transactions reduced its ownership by only about 0.02%–0.03% each, limiting their immediate impact, although repeated sales may attract investor attention.
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo cut its Aflac price target from $122 to $116 and retained an Equal Weight rating, signaling limited near-term upside at recent levels. Wells Fargo Aflac Price Target

About Aflac

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE: AFL) is an insurance company that provides supplemental health and life insurance products to individuals, employers and groups. Its coverage is designed to help policyholders manage expenses that may not be fully covered by major medical insurance, including costs associated with illness, injury and other qualifying events.

The company’s products include accident, cancer, critical illness, hospital indemnity, disability, dental, vision and life insurance. Aflac distributes its policies through workplace benefits programs, independent agents, brokers and other distribution channels.

Founded in 1955 as American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus, Aflac has its headquarters in Columbus, Georgia.