Globe Life Inc. (NYSE:GL) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Shares of Globe Life Inc. (NYSE:GL - Get Free Report) have been given an average rating of "Moderate Buy" by the ten research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, five have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $135.60.

GL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on Globe Life in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. They set a "market perform" rating and a $114.00 price target for the company. Evercore ISI raised Globe Life from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $132.00 to $143.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of Globe Life from $137.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Globe Life from $125.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Globe Life from $107.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th.

Globe Life Stock Performance

Shares of GL stock traded up $1.20 on Friday, hitting $128.17. 301,467 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 613,969. Globe Life has a one year low of $38.95 and a one year high of $131.39. The firm's 50 day moving average is $121.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $112.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.75 billion, a PE ratio of 10.73 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a current ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 0.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

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Globe Life (NYSE:GL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $3.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.12 by $0.02. Globe Life had a net margin of 18.53% and a return on equity of 22.32%. Sell-side analysts expect that Globe Life will post 13.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Globe Life Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.84%. This is an increase from Globe Life's previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. Globe Life's dividend payout ratio is 9.04%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CMO Jennifer Allison Haworth sold 9,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.91, for a total value of $1,016,190.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 13,485 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,522,591.35. This trade represents a 40.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Mark A. Blinn sold 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.23, for a total transaction of $339,690.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 5,122 shares of the company's stock, valued at $579,964.06. This trade represents a 36.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 61,338 shares of company stock valued at $7,239,630 over the last ninety days. 1.51% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Globe Life

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of GL. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in shares of Globe Life by 388.0% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 244 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 194 shares in the last quarter. Albion Financial Group UT purchased a new position in Globe Life during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of Globe Life in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Avalon Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Globe Life in the fourth quarter worth $41,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Globe Life by 32.7% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 365 shares of the company's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.61% of the company's stock.

About Globe Life

Globe Life Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides various life and supplemental health insurance products, and annuities to lower middle- and middle-income families in the United States. The company operates in four segments: Life Insurance, Supplemental Health Insurance, Annuities, and Investments.