Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Price Target Raised to $105.00

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) had its target price upped by research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $101.00 to $105.00 in a research note issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “neutral” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s target price suggests a potential downside of 4.71% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on the company. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $119.00 target price (up from $110.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Tuesday, December 30th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Aflac from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Mizuho began coverage on shares of Aflac in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $104.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Aflac from $107.00 to $109.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Aflac currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $110.92.

Aflac Stock Down 0.1%

AFL opened at $110.20 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $57.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.39, a PEG ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 0.67. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $110.23 and its 200 day simple moving average is $107.43. Aflac has a 52 week low of $96.95 and a 52 week high of $115.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 27th. The financial services provider reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of $5.91 billion during the quarter. Aflac had a net margin of 23.55% and a return on equity of 14.97%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Aflac will post 6.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Aflac

In other news, EVP Audrey B. Tillman sold 15,862 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.00, for a total value of $1,776,544.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 230,688 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,837,056. This represents a 6.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Steven Kent Beaver sold 5,492 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction on Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.53, for a total transaction of $601,538.76. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 38,368 shares in the company, valued at $4,202,447.04. The trade was a 12.52% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 31,766 shares of company stock valued at $3,549,706 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aflac

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AFL. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. increased its position in shares of Aflac by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. now owns 11,827 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,321,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. Courier Capital LLC grew its stake in Aflac by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. Courier Capital LLC now owns 2,597 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $290,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Duncan Williams Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Aflac by 5.0% during the 2nd quarter. Duncan Williams Asset Management LLC now owns 2,065 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $218,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC increased its holdings in shares of Aflac by 5.1% in the third quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 2,037 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $227,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. Finally, Stiles Financial Services Inc raised its stake in shares of Aflac by 3.2% in the third quarter. Stiles Financial Services Inc now owns 3,169 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $354,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. 67.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.