UBS Group Has Lowered Expectations for Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Stock Price

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) had its price target dropped by investment analysts at UBS Group from $116.00 to $114.00 in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “neutral” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. UBS Group’s price target suggests a potential upside of 0.63% from the company’s current price.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on AFL. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $119.00 price objective (up from $110.00) on shares of Aflac in a research report on Tuesday, December 30th. Morgan Stanley set a $120.00 price objective on Aflac in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Mizuho set a $107.00 price objective on Aflac in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $113.00 price objective on shares of Aflac in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Aflac from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Aflac currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $112.27.

Aflac Stock Performance

Aflac stock traded up $0.28 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $113.28. 1,223,290 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,352,419. Aflac has a twelve month low of $96.95 and a twelve month high of $119.32. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $111.39 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $110.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a current ratio of 0.11. The firm has a market cap of $58.36 billion, a PE ratio of 16.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.62 and a beta of 0.66.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $1.57 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.69 by ($0.12). Aflac had a return on equity of 14.35% and a net margin of 21.24%.The company had revenue of $4.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.45 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.57 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Aflac will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Aflac

In other news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 24,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.45, for a total value of $2,672,890.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 51,889,100 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,731,151,095. This trade represents a 0.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 320,477 shares of company stock valued at $35,103,362. 0.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Aflac

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AFL. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 188.5% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 225 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 147 shares during the period. Quarry LP acquired a new position in Aflac during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC acquired a new position in Aflac during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Navalign LLC acquired a new position in Aflac during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Aflac during the second quarter worth $33,000. 67.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Aflac

Aflac Incorporated (American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus) is a provider of supplemental insurance products designed to help policyholders manage out-of-pocket health care and living expenses. The company underwrites a range of individual and group policies that typically pay cash benefits directly to insureds when covered events occur, enabling greater financial flexibility for medical treatment, hospital stays, critical illness, and related costs. Aflac’s product mix includes supplemental health insurance, life insurance and other specialty coverages intended to complement primary medical plans.

Founded in the mid-20th century and headquartered in Columbus, Georgia, Aflac distributes its products through a combination of employer-sponsored programs, independent brokers and agents, and direct marketing.