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

Shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) have earned an average rating of "Hold" from the fourteen ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $104.00.

A number of research firms have commented on AFL. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of Aflac in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $111.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Aflac from $105.00 to $100.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on Aflac from $107.00 to $104.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Aflac from $94.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com cut Aflac from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Monday.

Aflac Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of AFL opened at $105.73 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 0.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock has a market cap of $57.71 billion, a PE ratio of 11.01, a PEG ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.84. Aflac has a 1 year low of $83.27 and a 1 year high of $115.50. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $107.40 and a 200-day simple moving average of $106.76.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.67 by ($0.01). Aflac had a return on equity of 16.20% and a net margin of 28.76%. The company had revenue of $3.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.53 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.66 earnings per share. The business's revenue was down 37.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Aflac will post 6.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 21st will be given a $0.58 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 21st. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.19%. Aflac's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.25%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Charles D. Lake II sold 29,802 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.29, for a total value of $3,197,456.58. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 49,962 shares in the company, valued at $5,360,422.98. This represents a 37.36 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 1,000 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.63, for a total value of $107,630.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 25,393 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,733,048.59. This represents a 3.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aflac

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Aflac during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. BankPlus Trust Department bought a new stake in Aflac in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Aflac by 121.9% in the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 304 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the period. Curio Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Garde Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac in the 1st quarter valued at about $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.

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