StockNews.com Upgrades Aflac (NYSE:AFL) to Hold

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Free Report) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Friday morning.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Aflac from $90.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Aflac from $98.00 to $95.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on shares of Aflac from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Aflac from $103.00 to $104.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on shares of Aflac from $107.00 to $104.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $103.00.

Aflac Stock Performance

Shares of Aflac stock traded down $0.62 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $103.46. 1,450,313 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,719,400. Aflac has a 12 month low of $78.38 and a 12 month high of $115.50. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $104.18 and a 200 day simple moving average of $107.25. 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 company has a market capitalization of $57.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.99.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Aflac will post 6.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.58 per share. This is a boost from Aflac's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 19th. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.24%. Aflac's dividend payout ratio is presently 20.83%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Audrey B. Tillman sold 24,744 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 222,618 shares in the company, valued at $23,018,701.20. This represents a 10.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.90% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Spinnaker Trust lifted its position in Aflac by 2.7% during the third quarter. Spinnaker Trust now owns 3,620 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $405,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the period. Secure Asset Management LLC raised its position in Aflac by 1.0% in the third quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC now owns 9,783 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,094,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA raised its position in Aflac by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 7,643 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $791,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the period. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC raised its position in Aflac by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC now owns 6,553 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $662,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Raleigh Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Aflac by 23.2% in the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 531 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Institutional investors 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.