Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Earns “Hold” Rating from Keefe, Bruyette & Woods

Aflac (NYSE:AFL)‘s stock had its “hold” rating reaffirmed by analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods in a research note issued on Thursday, MarketBeat reports. They currently have a $113.00 price objective on the financial services provider’s stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods’ price objective suggests a potential upside of 6.10% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on AFL. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Aflac in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Aflac from $109.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Aflac in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Mizuho set a $107.00 target price on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Aflac from $101.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $112.00.

Aflac Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of NYSE AFL opened at $106.50 on Thursday. Aflac has a fifty-two week low of $96.95 and a fifty-two week high of $119.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a current ratio of 0.11. The company has a market cap of $54.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.48, a PEG ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 0.66. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $111.13 and its 200-day moving average price is $110.33.

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

Insider Transactions at Aflac

In other Aflac news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 14,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.03, for a total transaction of $1,519,826.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 52,018,600 shares in the company, valued at $5,567,550,758. This represents a 0.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Charles D. Lake II sold 15,590 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.93, for a total transaction of $1,713,808.70. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 62,237 shares in the company, valued at $6,841,713.41. This trade represents a 20.03% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 235,077 shares of company stock valued at $25,690,082. 0.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aflac

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of AFL. Stephens Inc. AR boosted its position in Aflac by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 21,945 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,420,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Aflac by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 2,119 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $234,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co lifted its stake in shares of Aflac by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 19,088 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,105,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC lifted its stake in shares of Aflac by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 7,702 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $902,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Confluence Wealth Services Inc. boosted its position in Aflac by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. now owns 11,923 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,315,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Aflac

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

• Positive Sentiment: New product development — Aflac unveiled a hybrid long-term care rider that analysts say could reshape its aging-demographics narrative by addressing demand for LTC solutions and cross-selling opportunities; this product could support future premium growth and retention. Will Aflac’s (AFL) New Hybrid Long-Term Care Rider Reshape Its Aging-Demographics Investment Narrative?
• Positive Sentiment: Brand & distribution support — Aflac’s “Agents of Care 2025” campaign highlights agent engagement and community/CSR activity that can help retention, recruitment and brand value in key channels over time. This is supportive for steady premium flows but is more of a long-term/qualitative positive. Aflac 2025 Agents of Care Prove the Power of Compassion in Action
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage & targets — Keefe, Bruyette & Woods (KBW) initiated coverage with a Market Perform rating and $113 target; consensus remains near a Hold with an average target ~$111–$114, implying limited near-term upside from current levels. This keeps analyst bias neutral rather than bullish. KBW Sees Mixed Fundamentals in Life Insurance, Starts Aflac (AFL) at Market Perform
• Negative Sentiment: Repeated insider selling — Major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan has sold sizeable blocks of AFL over multiple sessions (totaling millions of dollars across several trades). Heavy insider/large-shareholder sales can pressure the stock and signal portfolio rebalancing or reduced conviction, which likely contributed to today’s weakness. Insider Selling: Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Major Shareholder Sells 15,000 Shares of Stock

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.