Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Now Covered by Analysts at Barclays

Analysts at Barclays began coverage on shares of Aflac (NYSE:AFL) in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage set an “underweight” rating and a $96.00 price target on the financial services provider’s stock. Barclays‘s price objective would indicate a potential downside of 12.50% from the company’s current price.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Aflac from $84.00 to $83.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, June 28th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Aflac from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Aflac from $91.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Aflac from $80.00 to $83.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on Aflac from $84.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $92.50.

Aflac Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of AFL opened at $109.71 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $62.34 billion, a PE ratio of 12.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.95. The company’s fifty day moving average is $98.73 and its 200 day moving average is $89.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.10 and a current ratio of 0.10. Aflac has a fifty-two week low of $73.62 and a fifty-two week high of $111.14.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The financial services provider reported $1.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.60 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $5.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.10 billion. Aflac had a net margin of 28.35% and a return on equity of 16.22%. The business’s revenue was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.58 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Aflac will post 6.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Aflac news, Director Thomas J. Kenny sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.94, for a total transaction of $197,880.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 18,158 shares in the company, valued at $1,796,552.52. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aflac

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Y.D. More Investments Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Aflac in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Atwood & Palmer Inc. grew its holdings in Aflac by 80.0% in the first quarter. Atwood & Palmer Inc. now owns 315 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Aflac during the first quarter worth $29,000. Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac during the 1st quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Sachetta LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac in the 4th quarter worth $35,000. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.