Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Earns Market Perform Rating from Analysts at BMO Capital Markets

Stock analysts at BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Aflac (NYSE:AFL) in a report issued on Thursday,Briefing.com Automated Import reports. The brokerage set a “market perform” rating and a $111.00 price target on the financial services provider’s stock. BMO Capital Markets’ price objective would suggest a potential upside of 6.46% from the company’s current price.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on AFL. StockNews.com raised shares of Aflac from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on Aflac from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on Aflac from $114.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on Aflac from $108.00 to $107.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of Aflac from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Aflac currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $102.67.

Aflac Price Performance

Shares of Aflac stock opened at $104.27 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 0.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Aflac has a twelve month low of $75.07 and a twelve month high of $115.50. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $106.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $105.71. The firm has a market cap of $57.92 billion, a PE ratio of 15.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.00.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.47. The firm had revenue of $2.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.30 billion. Aflac had a return on equity of 16.34% and a net margin of 22.02%. The business’s revenue was down 40.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.84 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Aflac will post 7.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Aflac

In related news, EVP Audrey B. Tillman sold 24,744 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,018,701.20. This trade represents a 10.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aflac

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Asset Dedication LLC lifted its holdings in Aflac by 107.4% during the 4th quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 1,041 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $108,000 after buying an additional 539 shares in the last quarter. Buffington Mohr McNeal increased its position in shares of Aflac by 21.5% during the fourth quarter. Buffington Mohr McNeal now owns 3,166 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $327,000 after acquiring an additional 560 shares during the period. Nilsine Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Aflac by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Nilsine Partners LLC now owns 9,813 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,015,000 after acquiring an additional 357 shares in the last quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Aflac by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,995 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $620,000 after purchasing an additional 212 shares during the period. Finally, West Wealth Group LLC acquired a new position in Aflac during the 4th quarter worth $220,000. 67.44% of the stock is currently 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.