Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Stock Gets Price Target Reduction from Keefe, Bruyette & Woods

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) had its price objective decreased by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $125.00 to $120.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods currently has a market perform rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

A number of other brokerages have also recently weighed in on AFL. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Aflac from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 15th. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $101.00 target price (up from $99.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company set a $122.00 target price on shares of Aflac and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Mizuho cut their target price on shares of Aflac from $116.00 to $107.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $125.00 price target (up from $124.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $115.77.

Aflac Stock Down 0.1%

AFL opened at $114.48 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $57.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.12 and a current ratio of 0.12. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $117.17 and a 200 day moving average price of $116.90. Aflac has a twelve month low of $105.43 and a twelve month high of $130.22.

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

Aflac Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 19th were given a $0.61 dividend. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 19th. Aflac’s payout ratio is currently 26.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.49, for a total transaction of $2,369,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 50,667,690 shares in the company, valued at $6,003,614,588.10. The trade was a 0.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing 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. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 465,851 shares of company stock valued at $54,213,397. Insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aflac

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

Trending Headlines about Aflac

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

• Positive Sentiment: bswift launched AI-powered carrier-configuration tools beginning with Aflac. The initiative is designed to simplify workplace-benefit plan setup and improve access to Aflac’s supplemental insurance products. While no immediate financial benefit was disclosed, the platform could support distribution efficiency and future growth. bswift launches AI-powered carrier configuration tools starting with Aflac
• Neutral Sentiment: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered its price target for Aflac to $120 from $125 and maintained a “market perform” rating. The revised target still implies approximately 4.8% potential upside from the referenced price, but the cut signals limited near-term conviction rather than a bullish catalyst. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods adjusts Aflac price target
• Negative Sentiment: Mizuho issued a more pessimistic outlook for Aflac. Its previously reported target cut to $107 from $116 and “underperform” rating put additional pressure on the shares, particularly after Aflac’s latest quarterly EPS slightly missed consensus and revenue declined year over year. Mizuho issues pessimistic forecast for Aflac
• Negative Sentiment: Japan Post Holdings continued selling small portions of its large Aflac stake. It sold 13,050 shares for approximately $1.48 million under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale reduced its ownership by only 0.03%, limiting the fundamental impact, but repeated disposals may create a modest supply overhang and weigh on sentiment. Japan Post Holdings Aflac share sale filing

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.