JPMorgan Chase & Co. Issues Positive Forecast for Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Stock Price

Key Points

• JPMorgan raised Aflac’s price target from $116 to $119 while maintaining a “neutral” rating, implying only 0.65% upside from the prior close.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed but centered on “Hold”: MarketBeat reports a consensus target of $117.20, with eight Hold, three Buy, one Strong Buy and four Sell ratings.
• Aflac shares traded near $118.23, while the company’s latest quarterly results slightly missed EPS estimates but exceeded revenue expectations; insiders have also sold more than 545,000 shares over the past 90 days.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) had its price objective lifted by research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $116.00 to $119.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "neutral" rating on the financial services provider's stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s price objective points to a potential upside of 0.65% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on AFL. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Aflac in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. They issued an "underperform" rating and a $103.00 target price for the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on Aflac from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 9th. Bank of America dropped their price target on Aflac from $137.00 to $133.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Evercore boosted their price target on Aflac from $109.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Aflac from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (a-)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $117.20.

Aflac Stock Up 0.0%

NYSE AFL traded up $0.02 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $118.23. 338,325 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,275,690. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.12 and a current ratio of 0.12. The company has a market capitalization of $59.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.56. The company's 50-day moving average is $116.63 and its two-hundred day moving average is $117.10. Aflac has a one year low of $105.43 and a one year high of $130.22.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.76 by ($0.01). Aflac had a net margin of 26.91% and a return on equity of 13.27%. The company had revenue of $4.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.11 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.78 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Aflac will post 7.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 42,000 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.38, for a total value of $4,887,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 50,302,940 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,854,256,157.20. This trade represents a 0.08% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 545,051 shares of company stock valued at $63,379,217 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aflac

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Compound Planning Inc. grew its position in Aflac by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 13,743 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,508,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors raised its position in Aflac by 1.3% in the third quarter. C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors now owns 7,013 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $784,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC raised its position in Aflac by 1.3% in the second quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC now owns 7,650 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $897,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. ABLE Financial Group LLC raised its position in Aflac by 2.9% in the third quarter. ABLE Financial Group LLC now owns 3,658 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $409,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lewis Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Aflac by 2.8% during the first quarter. Lewis Asset Management LLC now owns 3,935 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $432,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. 67.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Aflac News

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AM Best affirmed Aflac’s credit ratings and those of its subsidiaries, supporting confidence in the insurer’s balance sheet, claims-paying ability and financial stability. AM Best Affirms Aflac Credit Ratings
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America maintained a Buy rating while reducing its price target from $137 to $133. Although the target was lowered, it remains above recent trading levels and indicates continued expected upside. Bank of America Cuts Aflac Price Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Japan Post Holdings, Aflac’s major shareholder, reported additional sales of 12,000 shares on October 9 and 12,200 shares on October 12. The transactions were executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan and reduced its ownership by only about 0.02% per trade, limiting the immediate impact, though the repeated selling may concern investors. Japan Post Holdings Aflac Share Sale
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo lowered its Aflac price target from $122 to $116 while retaining an Equal Weight rating, signaling limited near-term upside at recent levels. Wells Fargo Cuts Aflac Price Target

Aflac Company Profile

Aflac Incorporated NYSE: AFL is an insurance company that provides supplemental health and life insurance products to individuals, employers and groups. Its coverage is designed to help policyholders manage expenses that may not be fully covered by major medical insurance, including costs associated with illness, injury and other qualifying events.

The company's products include accident, cancer, critical illness, hospital indemnity, disability, dental, vision and life insurance. Aflac distributes its policies through workplace benefits programs, independent agents, brokers and other distribution channels.

Founded in 1955 as American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus, Aflac has its headquarters in Columbus, Georgia.

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