Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" from Analysts

Shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus recommendation of "Hold" by the fifteen research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have issued a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $98.73.

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on AFL. Barclays started coverage on shares of Aflac in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. They set an "underweight" rating and a $96.00 price objective on the stock. Truist Financial increased their target price on Aflac from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. TD Cowen started coverage on Aflac in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $102.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America upped their price objective on Aflac from $115.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their target price on Aflac from $114.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd.

Aflac Trading Up 0.5 %

NYSE:AFL traded up $0.47 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $103.44. The stock had a trading volume of 1,689,836 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,205,605. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $107.50 and a 200 day moving average of $104.18. The company has a market capitalization of $57.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.58, a PEG ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.97. Aflac has a one year low of $75.07 and a one year high of $115.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 0.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.47. Aflac had a return on equity of 16.34% and a net margin of 22.02%. The business had revenue of $2.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.30 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.84 EPS. The business's revenue was down 40.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Aflac will post 7.27 EPS for the current year.

Aflac Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be given a dividend of $0.58 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 19th. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.24%. This is a boost from Aflac's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. Aflac's payout ratio is currently 34.94%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Aflac

In related news, EVP Audrey B. Tillman sold 24,744 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, December 27th. The shares were 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 $23,018,701.20. The trade was a 10.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aflac

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC boosted its holdings in Aflac by 7,001.0% during the second quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 667,706 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $596,000 after buying an additional 658,303 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Aflac by 10,878.5% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 559,903 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $62,597,000 after acquiring an additional 554,803 shares in the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund grew its position in shares of Aflac by 471.4% during the 3rd quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 600,000 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $67,080,000 after acquiring an additional 495,000 shares during the period. Truist Financial Corp increased its stake in shares of Aflac by 26.6% in the 2nd quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 1,929,662 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $172,338,000 after purchasing an additional 405,847 shares in the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Aflac in the 3rd quarter worth about $42,290,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.