Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) Receives $111.73 Average PT from Analysts

Shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) have received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the twelve ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have given a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $111.7273.

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on AFL shares. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $119.00 price objective (up from $110.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Tuesday, December 30th. Morgan Stanley set a $120.00 target price on Aflac in a report on Monday, December 15th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Aflac from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. Mizuho set a $107.00 price target on shares of Aflac in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Aflac from $101.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th.

Aflac Trading Up 0.0%

NYSE AFL opened at $112.45 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.11 and a quick ratio of 0.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.34, a PEG ratio of 3.68 and a beta of 0.66. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $111.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $110.18. Aflac has a 12 month low of $96.95 and a 12 month high of $119.32.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $1.57 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.69 by ($0.12). Aflac had a return on equity of 14.35% and a net margin of 21.24%.The company had revenue of $4.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.45 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.57 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Aflac will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Aflac

In other news, EVP Steven Kent Beaver sold 7,387 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.58, for a total transaction of $839,015.46. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 40,526 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,602,943.08. This represents a 15.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders have sold a total of 16,331 shares of company stock valued at $1,817,720 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of Aflac by 64.4% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 14,570 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,507,000 after buying an additional 5,708 shares in the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Aflac by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 4,402 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $455,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in Aflac by 6.0% during the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 2,861 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $302,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio increased its position in shares of Aflac by 509.1% in the 2nd quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 143,848 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $15,170,000 after purchasing an additional 120,231 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Versor Investments LP acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac in the 2nd quarter valued at $527,000. 67.44% of the stock is 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.