Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) Receives $103.36 Consensus Price Target from Analysts

Shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) have earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the fourteen analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have issued a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $103.36.

A number of brokerages have issued reports on AFL. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of Aflac in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $111.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Aflac from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Aflac from $98.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Evercore ISI cut their price target on shares of Aflac from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on shares of Aflac from $98.00 to $95.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Aflac news, Director Charles D. Lake II sold 29,802 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.29, for a total transaction of $3,197,456.58. Following the transaction, the director now owns 49,962 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,360,422.98. This trade represents a 37.36 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Audrey B. Tillman sold 24,744 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.40, for a total transaction of $2,558,529.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 222,618 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,018,701.20. The trade was a 10.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 55,546 shares of company stock valued at $5,863,616 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aflac

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AFL. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac during the third quarter worth $34,000. BankPlus Trust Department purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Raelipskie Partnership purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac in the third quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Curio Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Aflac Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:AFL opened at $108.10 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $105.95 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $107.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.10 and a quick ratio of 0.08. Aflac has a one year low of $79.31 and a one year high of $115.50. The company has a market cap of $59.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.26, a PEG ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.93.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.56 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.63 by ($0.07). Aflac had a net margin of 28.76% and a return on equity of 16.20%. Analysts anticipate that Aflac will post 6.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.