Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Piper Sandler Analyst Says

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) had its price target boosted by Piper Sandler from $118.00 to $124.00 in a report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “overweight” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Piper Sandler’s target price suggests a potential upside of 10.61% from the stock’s current price.

Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Aflac from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Aflac from $94.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Aflac from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on Aflac in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $111.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on shares of Aflac from $107.00 to $104.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Aflac currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $103.93.

Aflac Stock Down 0.3 %

NYSE AFL traded down $0.34 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $112.11. 127,206 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,910,216. The firm has a market capitalization of $61.19 billion, a PE ratio of 11.70, a P/E/G ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a current ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 0.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $106.71 and its 200-day simple moving average is $107.71. Aflac has a fifty-two week low of $79.31 and a fifty-two week high of $115.50.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.56 earnings per share 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that Aflac will post 6.88 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Aflac news, Director Charles D. Lake II sold 29,802 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.29, for a total value of $3,197,456.58. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 49,962 shares in the company, valued at $5,360,422.98. The trade was a 37.36 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.63, for a total transaction of $107,630.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 25,393 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,733,048.59. The trade was a 3.79 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aflac

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AFL. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in Aflac during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. BankPlus Trust Department acquired a new position in Aflac in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Curio Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Aflac during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Raelipskie Partnership acquired a new stake in Aflac during the third quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in Aflac in the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. 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.