Aflac Incorporated (AFL) to Distribute Quarterly Dividend of $0.61 on September 1st

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, August 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 19th will be paid a dividend of 0.61 per share by the financial services provider on Tuesday, September 1st. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 19th.

Aflac has raised its dividend by an average of 0.2%per year over the last three years and has increased its dividend every year for the last 44 years. Aflac has a dividend payout ratio of 34.1% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect Aflac to earn $7.65 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $2.44 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 31.9%.

Aflac Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AFL opened at $121.38 on Monday. 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 business’s fifty day moving average price is $121.36 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $115.86. Aflac has a fifty-two week low of $104.66 and a fifty-two week high of $130.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $60.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.60.

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). The firm had revenue of $4.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.78 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Aflac will post 7.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AFL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered Aflac from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Aflac from $117.00 to $116.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating and set a $99.00 target price (up from $98.00) on shares of Aflac in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Mizuho set a $116.00 price target on shares of Aflac in a report on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $108.00 price objective (up from $100.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Friday, July 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Aflac currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $117.58.

Aflac Company Profile

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.