Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Price Target Cut to $120.00 by Analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) had its price target cut by equities researchers at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $125.00 to $120.00 in a research report issued on Friday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “market perform” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods’ price objective points to a potential upside of 4.59% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on AFL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Aflac from $117.00 to $116.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $108.00 price objective (up from $100.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Aflac from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, August 15th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $122.00 price objective on shares of Aflac and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Aflac from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Aflac presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $115.77.

Aflac Stock Performance

Shares of AFL stock traded down $0.21 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $114.73. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 435,633 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,291,762. The company has a 50 day moving average of $117.43 and a 200 day moving average of $116.84. The stock has a market cap of $57.52 billion, a PE ratio of 12.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a current ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 0.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Aflac has a 12-month low of $105.43 and a 12-month high of $130.22.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.76 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $4.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.11 billion. Aflac had a return on equity of 13.27% and a net margin of 26.91%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.78 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Aflac will post 7.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Aflac

In related news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,050 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.49, for a total value of $1,481,044.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 50,394,140 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,719,230,948.60. This represents a 0.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 453,851 shares of company stock worth $52,859,797 in the last three months. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aflac

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of AFL. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in Aflac during the second quarter worth about $4,093,787,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in Aflac by 27.8% in the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 5,201,217 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $609,843,000 after acquiring an additional 1,132,091 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Aflac by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,550,855 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $499,216,000 after acquiring an additional 67,650 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in Aflac in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $404,639,000. Finally, Amundi boosted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 22.6% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 3,268,209 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $358,555,000 after purchasing an additional 603,426 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Aflac News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Aflac is expanding its benefits technology through bswift’s AI-powered carrier configuration tools. The platform is designed to simplify workplace-benefit plan setup and improve access to Aflac’s voluntary insurance products. While the initiative could improve distribution efficiency and support longer-term growth, no immediate financial benefit was disclosed. bswift launches AI-powered carrier configuration tools
• Neutral Sentiment: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered its Aflac price target to $120 from $125. The adjustment indicates more limited upside, although the firm’s rating and underlying view were not identified in the report. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods adjusts Aflac price target
• Negative Sentiment: Mizuho issued a more pessimistic outlook, cutting its Aflac target to $107 from $116 and maintaining an Underperform rating. The new target implies downside from recent levels and is likely adding pressure to the shares. Mizuho issues pessimistic forecast for Aflac
• Negative Sentiment: Japan Post Holdings Co. Ltd. sold another 13,050 Aflac shares for approximately $1.48 million. The sale was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan and reduced its ownership by only 0.03%, limiting the fundamental significance. However, repeated sales by a major shareholder may create a modest supply overhang and weigh on sentiment. Japan Post Holdings sells Aflac shares
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst caution follows Aflac’s latest quarterly results. The company narrowly missed consensus EPS estimates, while revenue declined 1% year over year. Although revenue exceeded expectations and profitability remained strong, the results provide limited support for a significant near-term re-rating.

Aflac Company Profile

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE: AFL) is an insurance company that provides supplemental health and life insurance products to individuals, employers and groups. Its coverage is designed to help policyholders manage expenses that may not be fully covered by major medical insurance, including costs associated with illness, injury and other qualifying events.

The company’s products include accident, cancer, critical illness, hospital indemnity, disability, dental, vision and life insurance. Aflac distributes its policies through workplace benefits programs, independent agents, brokers and other distribution channels.

Founded in 1955 as American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus, Aflac has its headquarters in Columbus, Georgia.