UBS Group Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Stock

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) had its price objective boosted by UBS Group from $109.00 to $114.00 in a report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. UBS Group currently has a neutral rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

AFL has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Aflac from $118.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Aflac from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Aflac from $98.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Barclays cut their target price on Aflac from $98.00 to $95.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their price target on Aflac from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $104.29.

Aflac Stock Performance

NYSE AFL opened at $112.32 on Wednesday. Aflac has a 12-month low of $79.31 and a 12-month high of $115.50. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $106.87 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $107.74. The company has a market capitalization of $61.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.70, a P/E/G ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a quick ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 0.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Aflac

In other news, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.63, for a total value of $107,630.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 25,393 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,733,048.59. This represents a 3.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Charles D. Lake II sold 29,802 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.29, for a total value of $3,197,456.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 49,962 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,360,422.98. This represents a 37.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aflac

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. FMR LLC raised its position in shares of Aflac by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,202,104 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $134,395,000 after acquiring an additional 45,745 shares in the last quarter. Centiva Capital LP increased its holdings in Aflac by 93.2% in the third quarter. Centiva Capital LP now owns 15,599 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,744,000 after purchasing an additional 7,524 shares in the last quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. lifted its stake in Aflac by 27.8% in the third quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. now owns 7,567 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $846,000 after buying an additional 1,647 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 468,053 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $52,327,000 after buying an additional 20,032 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Investment Management Corp of Ontario grew its position in shares of Aflac by 47.7% during the 3rd quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario now owns 17,961 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,008,000 after buying an additional 5,800 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

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.