Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) have earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the fourteen research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $93.36.

Several research analysts have issued reports on AFL shares. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on shares of Aflac from $84.00 to $83.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, June 28th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Aflac from $84.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. Barclays initiated coverage on Aflac in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $96.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America boosted their price target on Aflac from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on Aflac from $84.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Aflac

In related news, Director Thomas J. Kenny sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.94, for a total transaction of $197,880.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 18,158 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,796,552.52. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Centaurus Financial Inc. raised its position in shares of Aflac by 6.5% in the second quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 19,330 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,726,000 after buying an additional 1,181 shares during the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund lifted its stake in Aflac by 8.2% in the 2nd quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 105,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $9,378,000 after purchasing an additional 8,000 shares in the last quarter. Vienna Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. Vienna Insurance Group boosted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 5.3% during the 2nd quarter. Vienna Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. Vienna Insurance Group now owns 15,663 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,399,000 after purchasing an additional 782 shares during the last quarter. Brightwater Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac in the second quarter valued at approximately $3,015,000. Finally, Heritage Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac in the second quarter valued at approximately $552,000. 67.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Aflac Trading Up 0.5 %

AFL stock opened at $110.59 on Monday. Aflac has a 12 month low of $74.89 and a 12 month high of $111.14. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $104.15 and its 200 day moving average is $92.65. The company has a market capitalization of $62.84 billion, a PE ratio of 12.21, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.10 and a quick ratio of 0.10.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The financial services provider reported $1.83 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.60 by $0.23. Aflac had a return on equity of 16.22% and a net margin of 28.35%. The business had revenue of $5.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.10 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.58 EPS. Aflac’s revenue was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Aflac will post 6.75 EPS for the current year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 2nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 21st were issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.81%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 21st. Aflac’s payout ratio is presently 22.08%.

About Aflac

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.