Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Reaffirms Market Perform Rating for Aflac (NYSE:AFL)

Aflac (NYSE:AFL)‘s stock had its “market perform” rating restated by investment analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $113.00 target price on the financial services provider’s stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods’ price target would indicate a potential upside of 4.60% from the company’s previous close.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Mizuho set a $107.00 price target on Aflac in a research report on Monday, February 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Aflac from $101.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of Aflac in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Barclays set a $101.00 target price on Aflac and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Aflac in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $112.00.

Aflac Price Performance

NYSE:AFL traded up $0.82 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $108.03. 708,592 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,397,896. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $111.22 and a 200 day moving average price of $110.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.65 billion, a PE ratio of 15.70, a PEG ratio of 3.48 and a beta of 0.66. Aflac has a 1-year low of $96.95 and a 1-year high of $119.32. The company has a current ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $1.57 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.69 by ($0.12). Aflac had a net margin of 21.24% and a return on equity of 14.35%. The business had revenue of $4.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.45 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.57 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Aflac will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Aflac news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.78, for a total transaction of $1,601,700.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 52,046,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,557,557,304. This represents a 0.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Charles D. Lake II sold 15,590 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.93, for a total transaction of $1,713,808.70. Following the transaction, the director owned 62,237 shares in the company, valued at $6,841,713.41. The trade was a 20.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 220,877 shares of company stock worth $24,170,256. 0.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aflac

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AFL. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its stake in Aflac by 188.5% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 225 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the period. Quarry LP bought a new position in Aflac during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Navalign LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Aflac in the second quarter valued at about $33,000. 67.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Aflac

Aflac Incorporated (American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus) is a provider of supplemental insurance products designed to help policyholders manage out-of-pocket health care and living expenses. The company underwrites a range of individual and group policies that typically pay cash benefits directly to insureds when covered events occur, enabling greater financial flexibility for medical treatment, hospital stays, critical illness, and related costs. Aflac’s product mix includes supplemental health insurance, life insurance and other specialty coverages intended to complement primary medical plans.

Founded in the mid-20th century and headquartered in Columbus, Georgia, Aflac distributes its products through a combination of employer-sponsored programs, independent brokers and agents, and direct marketing.