Analysts Set Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) PT at $102.86

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the fourteen analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have given a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $102.86.

A number of research analysts have weighed in on AFL shares. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on Aflac in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $111.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Aflac from $90.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on Aflac from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Barclays reduced their target price on Aflac from $98.00 to $95.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Aflac from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 19th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Aflac news, EVP Audrey B. Tillman sold 24,744 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.40, for a total value 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 $23,018,701.20. This represents a 10.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aflac

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AFL. AMF Tjanstepension AB lifted its stake in Aflac by 13.3% in the 3rd quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 252,137 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $28,206,000 after purchasing an additional 29,602 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its position in shares of Aflac by 70.5% in the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 46,033 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,146,000 after buying an additional 19,037 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. lifted its position in shares of Aflac by 3.0% in the third quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 13,187 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,474,000 after buying an additional 385 shares in the last quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Aflac by 14.0% during the third quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,783 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $647,000 after buying an additional 710 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vicus Capital purchased a new position in Aflac during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $221,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Price Performance

AFL opened at $105.73 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.08 and a current ratio of 0.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.74 billion, a PE ratio of 11.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.99. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $104.30 and its 200-day moving average price is $107.46. Aflac has a 52-week low of $78.62 and a 52-week high of $115.50.

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

Aflac Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be issued a $0.58 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 19th. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.19%. This is an increase from Aflac’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio is currently 24.17%.

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.