Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) has earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the fifteen brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have assigned a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $99.13.

A number of brokerages have recently commented on AFL. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Aflac from $96.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of Aflac from $114.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. TD Cowen assumed coverage on Aflac in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $102.00 price target on the stock. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on Aflac from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Aflac to $107.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd.

Aflac Price Performance

AFL stock opened at $102.69 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.08 and a quick ratio of 0.08. Aflac has a 1 year low of $75.07 and a 1 year high of $115.50. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $106.86 and a 200 day moving average of $104.66. The company has a market cap of $57.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.47, a PEG ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 1.00.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.69 by $0.47. Aflac had a return on equity of 16.34% and a net margin of 22.02%. The firm had revenue of $2.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.30 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.84 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 40.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Aflac will post 7.27 EPS for the current year.

Aflac Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.58 per share. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.26%. This is a boost from Aflac’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 19th. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio is presently 34.94%.

Insider Transactions at Aflac

In related news, EVP Audrey B. Tillman sold 24,744 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.40, for a total transaction of $2,558,529.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 222,618 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,018,701.20. The trade was a 10.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aflac

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Y.D. More Investments Ltd purchased a new position in Aflac during the second quarter valued at $25,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Aflac during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Raelipskie Partnership purchased a new stake in Aflac in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Covestor Ltd raised its stake in Aflac by 41.8% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 363 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the period. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new position in Aflac during the third quarter valued at approximately $45,000. 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.