Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Raised to Hold at StockNews.com

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on AFL. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on Aflac from $107.00 to $104.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Aflac from $103.00 to $104.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Aflac from $90.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on Aflac in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $111.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on Aflac from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $103.00.

Aflac Stock Performance

Shares of AFL opened at $103.46 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $104.18 and a two-hundred day moving average of $107.09. Aflac has a one year low of $78.38 and a one year high of $115.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.08 and a current ratio of 0.10. The stock has a market cap of $57.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.99.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.56 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by ($0.07). Aflac had a return on equity of 16.20% and a net margin of 28.76%. As a group, research analysts predict that Aflac will post 6.95 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Aflac news, EVP Audrey B. Tillman sold 24,744 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.40, for a total transaction of $2,558,529.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 222,618 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,018,701.20. The trade was a 10.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aflac

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV purchased a new stake in Aflac during the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,409,000. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec grew its position in shares of Aflac by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 313,211 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $32,399,000 after purchasing an additional 17,613 shares in the last quarter. Parvin Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $103,000. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group grew its position in shares of Aflac by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 9,217 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $953,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bison Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Aflac by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 4,402 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $455,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Aflac Company Profile

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.