Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) Given Consensus Rating of "Hold" by Brokerages

Shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) have earned an average rating of "Hold" from the twelve research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have issued a hold recommendation, three have assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $111.3636.

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on AFL shares. Evercore raised Aflac from a "strong sell" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Mizuho set a $104.00 target price on Aflac in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Aflac from $113.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Weiss Ratings lowered Aflac from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Barclays set a $99.00 target price on Aflac and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th.

Aflac News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Aflac issued $500 million of 5.150% senior notes due 2036, which should add balance-sheet flexibility and support liquidity for the insurer’s capital management plans. Aflac Issues $500 Million 2036 Senior Notes Offering
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary highlighted strong sales growth in Japan and the U.S., improving Japan margins, and a lower benefit ratio, all of which support Aflac’s earnings durability. Here's Why You Should Keep Holding Aflac in Your Portfolio
• Neutral Sentiment: The latest quarter was mixed, with revenue beating estimates but earnings per share missing consensus, leaving investors focused on whether growth can offset margin pressure.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several recent articles questioned Aflac’s valuation and risk profile after softer Japan margins and the earnings miss, but these pieces mainly reinforced existing concerns rather than introducing a new catalyst.
• Negative Sentiment: Major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan disclosed another small sale of Aflac shares under a pre-arranged 10b5-1 plan, adding to a recent pattern of insider selling that can weigh on sentiment. Aflac NYSE: AFL Major Shareholder Sells $2,767,885.00 in Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Director Arthur Reginald Collins also sold shares recently, which may add a modest headwind to investor sentiment around the stock. SEC insider filing for Arthur Reginald Collins sale

Aflac Price Performance

Shares of AFL opened at $116.83 on Friday. Aflac has a 52-week low of $96.95 and a 52-week high of $119.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a current ratio of 0.11. The business's 50 day moving average price is $111.74 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $111.25. The firm has a market cap of $59.47 billion, a PE ratio of 13.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.62.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.80 by ($0.05). Aflac had a net margin of 25.60% and a return on equity of 13.88%. The business had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.20 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.66 earnings per share. Aflac's quarterly revenue was up 27.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Aflac will post 7.12 EPS for the current year.

Aflac Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 20th will be given a $0.61 dividend. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 20th. Aflac's dividend payout ratio is presently 27.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Arthur Reginald Collins sold 2,300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.55, for a total value of $268,065.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 6,186 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $720,978.30. This represents a 27.10% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.73, for a total value of $68,238.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 25,368 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,885,102.64. The trade was a 2.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 648,375 shares of company stock valued at $72,256,429. 0.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Aflac by 13.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 57,142,072 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $6,301,056,000 after purchasing an additional 6,759,169 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Aflac by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,550,855 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $499,216,000 after acquiring an additional 67,650 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc grew its stake in shares of Aflac by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 3,926,777 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $438,621,000 after acquiring an additional 13,666 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Aflac during the 4th quarter worth $420,078,000. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Aflac by 161.9% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,184,801 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $349,405,000 after acquiring an additional 1,968,738 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 67.44% of the company's stock.

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.

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