Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Issues Positive Forecast for Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Stock Price

Key Points

• Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised its price objective on Aflac to $115 from $113 but kept a "market perform" rating, implying roughly a 3.3% upside.
• Q4 results disappointed: Aflac reported EPS of $1.57 versus $1.69 expected and revenue of $4.28B (vs. $4.45B est.), with revenue down 9.6% year‑over‑year and the stock trading down about 1.5% to $111.33.
• Analyst views are mixed—Aflac has a consensus "Hold" with an average target of $112.27—while notable insider selling by Post Holdings (166,000 shares under a Rule 10b5‑1 plan) has added negative sentiment.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) had its price objective lifted by equities researchers at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $113.00 to $115.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "market perform" rating on the financial services provider's stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods' price target indicates a potential upside of 3.30% from the stock's previous close.

AFL has been the topic of several other reports. Morgan Stanley set a $120.00 price target on Aflac in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Barclays set a $101.00 price target on Aflac and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Aflac from $118.00 to $116.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Evercore raised Aflac from a "strong sell" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Aflac from $101.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Aflac currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $112.27.

Aflac Stock Down 1.5%

Aflac stock traded down $1.74 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $111.33. 540,168 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,339,089. The company has a current ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock has a market cap of $57.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.18, a P/E/G ratio of 3.69 and a beta of 0.66. Aflac has a 1-year low of $96.95 and a 1-year high of $119.32. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $111.45 and a two-hundred day moving average of $110.49.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last announced 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). Aflac had a net margin of 21.24% and a return on equity of 14.35%. The company had revenue of $4.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.45 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.57 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Aflac will post 6.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Aflac news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 166,000 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider owned 51,723,100 shares in the company, valued at $5,812,641,978. The trade was a 0.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 486,477 shares of company stock worth $53,758,442 over the last 90 days. 0.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aflac

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AFL. J. Derek Lewis & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in Aflac during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $263,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its holdings in Aflac by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 1,061,308 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $117,186,000 after purchasing an additional 58,018 shares in the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its holdings in Aflac by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 342,092 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $37,722,000 after purchasing an additional 3,736 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors boosted its holdings in Aflac by 59.8% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 6,298 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $694,000 after purchasing an additional 2,357 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC acquired a new stake in Aflac during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.44% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Aflac

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Evercore upgraded Aflac from "strong sell" to "strong buy" — an unexpected bullish signal that can attract buyers and support the stock. Evercore Upgrade (Zacks)
• Positive Sentiment: MarketBeat/Insider‑trades reported intraday buying interest and recent short‑term upticks, indicating some demand that could stabilize price action. MarketBeat Insider Trading
• Neutral Sentiment: Yahoo Finance ran a valuation/longer‑term view piece assessing whether Aflac’s recent run and mixed valuation signals are priced in — useful context but not an immediate catalyst. Yahoo Finance Valuation Piece
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks published a sector/earnings‑preview note (Earnings ESP) that highlights potential surprises across finance names; it's a market tool rather than company‑specific news. Zacks Earnings ESP
• Negative Sentiment: UBS cut its price target from $116 to $114 and set a Neutral rating — a modest downgrade that signals limited near‑term upside and likely contributed to selling pressure. UBS PT Cut (AmericanBankingNews)
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo trimmed its target (reported today) from $118 to $116 and moved to an "equal weight" view — another analyst downgrade narrowing upside vs. the market. Wells Fargo PT Update (Benzinga)
• Negative Sentiment: Major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan has repeatedly sold blocks of AFL under a Rule 10b5‑1 plan in recent days (multiple filings), including a 166,000‑share block on Apr 8 — the cadence of insider selling, while pre‑arranged and small versus its total stake, is a negative for sentiment and liquidity. SEC Filing — Post Holdings Sale InsiderTrades Summary

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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