Brokerages Set Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) PT at $98.73

Shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) have earned an average rating of “Hold” from the fifteen brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $98.73.

A number of brokerages have weighed in on AFL. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Aflac to $107.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. TD Cowen began coverage on Aflac in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. They set a “hold” rating and a $102.00 target price on the stock. Barclays began coverage on Aflac in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $96.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Aflac from $91.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, August 19th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on Aflac from $84.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th.

Aflac Trading Up 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE:AFL opened at $104.23 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.08 and a current ratio of 0.08. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $110.74 and its 200-day moving average is $102.59. The company has a market cap of $57.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.97. Aflac has a 52-week low of $75.07 and a 52-week high of $115.50.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.16 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 company had revenue of $2.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.30 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.84 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 40.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Aflac will post 7.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Aflac Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.58 per share. This is an increase from Aflac’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.23%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 19th. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.12%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC raised its position in Aflac by 7,001.0% in the 2nd quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 667,706 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $596,000 after purchasing an additional 658,303 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Aflac by 10,878.5% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 559,903 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $62,597,000 after buying an additional 554,803 shares in the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund raised its holdings in shares of Aflac by 471.4% in the third 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 buying an additional 495,000 shares during the last quarter. Truist Financial Corp lifted its position in Aflac by 26.6% during the 2nd quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 1,929,662 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $172,338,000 after buying an additional 405,847 shares in the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Aflac during the 3rd quarter worth about $42,290,000. 67.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.