UBS Group Cuts Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Price Target to $111.00

Key Points

• UBS Group has lowered its price target for Aflac (NYSE:AFL) from $114.00 to $111.00, maintaining a "neutral" rating on the stock.
• Other analysts, including Raymond James and Wells Fargo, have also adjusted their price targets for Aflac, indicating a generally cautious outlook with an average rating of "Hold."
• Aflac reported a quarterly earnings per share of $1.78, surpassing estimates of $1.71, although its revenue showed a year-over-year decline of 19.0%.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Free Report) had its target price trimmed by UBS Group from $114.00 to $111.00 in a report issued on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a neutral rating on the financial services provider's stock.

AFL has been the topic of several other reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Aflac from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Aflac from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Aflac from $103.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Aflac from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of Aflac from $104.00 to $106.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $107.92.

Aflac Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of Aflac stock traded up $1.15 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $103.43. The company's stock had a trading volume of 261,954 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,146,755. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.11 and a quick ratio of 0.09. Aflac has a 52 week low of $96.95 and a 52 week high of $115.50. The stock has a market cap of $55.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 0.83. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $102.41 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $104.91.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.78 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.71 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $4.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.30 billion. Aflac had a return on equity of 15.08% and a net margin of 15.32%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 19.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.83 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Aflac will post 6.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 20th will be paid a $0.58 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 20th. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Aflac's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 52.61%.

Insider Transactions at Aflac

In related news, Director Masatoshi Koide sold 37,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.59, for a total transaction of $3,906,830.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 70,992 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,496,045.28. This represents a 34.26% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Arthur Reginald Collins sold 2,750 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.70, for a total value of $290,675.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 6,728 shares of the company's stock, valued at $711,149.60. This trade represents a 29.01% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.90% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Aflac

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Mid American Wealth Advisory Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Aflac during the second quarter worth about $26,000. Chilton Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Aflac during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Aflac by 1,526.7% during the 2nd quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 244 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. AlphaCore Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac in the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Hilltop National Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac in the second quarter worth approximately $32,000. Institutional investors 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.