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

Key Points

• Aflac has a consensus "Hold" rating from 12 analysts (2 sell, 6 hold, 2 buy, 2 strong buy) with an average 12‑month price target of $111.82.
• The company missed quarterly expectations, reporting $1.57 EPS versus $1.69 expected and $4.28B in revenue versus $4.45B expected, with revenue down 9.6% year‑over‑year.
• Major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 166,000 shares at an average $112.38 (~$18.66M) under a Rule 10b5‑1 plan; insiders have sold 572,632 shares (~$63.5M) over the past 90 days and currently own 0.80% of the stock.

Shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) have received a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the twelve ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $111.8182.

Several brokerages recently commented on AFL. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Aflac from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Aflac from $118.00 to $116.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 10th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Aflac from $116.00 to $114.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Aflac from $101.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised shares of Aflac to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd.

Insider Transactions at Aflac

In other Aflac news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 166,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.38, for a total transaction of $18,655,080.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 51,723,100 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,812,641,978. This trade represents a 0.32% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 572,632 shares of company stock worth $63,514,634. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aflac

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. True Wealth Design LLC raised its position in Aflac by 188.5% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 225 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new position in Aflac during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC purchased a new position in Aflac during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Navalign LLC purchased a new position in Aflac during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Aflac during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. 67.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Aflac Stock Performance

AFL stock opened at $114.67 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $59.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.67, a PEG ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 0.66. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $111.33 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $110.64. Aflac has a one year low of $96.95 and a one year high of $119.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a current ratio of 0.11.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $1.57 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.69 by ($0.12). The firm had revenue of $4.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.45 billion. Aflac had a net margin of 21.24% and a return on equity of 14.35%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.57 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Aflac will post 7.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.

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