Dividend Increases Week 46, 2021

In this article, I will go through the weekly dividend increases and cuts in popular and well-known stocks. (Member of The Dividend Champions or Canadian All-Star list)

 

Recently, 21 companies announced dividend increases. Note that no dividend cuts or suspensions were announced during this period.

 

The table below summarises the dividend change announcements.  The table shows the current dividend, the new dividend and the percentage increase (%). Dividends are shown on an annual basis and in US dollars unless otherwise stated. Yield is the new dividend yield of the most recent price, and Years is the years of consecutive dividend increases.

 

Week's Most Significant Insider Trades: Week of March 22, 2021

 

Disposals:

 

Visa Inc. (NYSE:V) Director Robert W. Matschullat sold 29,956 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $223.02, for a total transaction of $6,680,787.12. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

V opened at $208.00 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.91, a current ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $212.23 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $206.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $406.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.80 and a beta of 0.96. Visa Inc. has a 12-month low of $133.93 and a 12-month high of $228.23.

Visa (NYSE:V) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 28th. The credit-card processor reported $1.42 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.14. Visa had a return on equity of 37.22% and a net margin of 49.74%. The company had revenue of $5.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.52 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.46 earnings per share. Visa’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Visa Inc. will post 5.45 earnings per share for the current year. Read more …

 

Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE:BBY) CEO Corie S. Barry sold 10,855 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.03, for a total transaction of $1,292,070.65. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 194,516 shares in the company, valued at $23,153,239.48. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

 

Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE:BBY) COO Rajendra M. Mohan sold 8,640 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.03, for a total transaction of $1,028,419.20. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 147,329 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,536,570.87. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Rajendra M. Mohan also recently made the following trade(s):

On Tuesday, March 16th, Rajendra M. Mohan sold 4,261 shares of Best Buy stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.88, for a total transaction of $485,242.68.

Shares of Best Buy stock traded up $1.86 on Thursday, hitting $116.18. The company had a trading volume of 2,250,583 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,961,744. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $112.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $111.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The company has a market cap of $29.05 billion, a PE ratio of 17.37, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.52. Best Buy Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $51.71 and a 52 week high of $124.89. Read more …

 

Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) VP Roland Michael Vachris sold 4,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $334.30, for a total value of $1,437,490.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 15,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,215,748.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

COST stock traded up $5.85 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $340.34. The company had a trading volume of 3,604,902 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,088,433. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $339.90 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $359.73. The company has a market capitalization of $150.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.94, a PEG ratio of 4.17 and a beta of 0.66. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52 week low of $279.21 and a 52 week high of $393.15. Read more …

 

 

FedEx Co. (NYSE:FDX) VP John L. Merino sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $273.30, for a total value of $2,733,000.00. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

NYSE:FDX traded down $7.21 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $266.81. 2,268,258 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,691,275. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a quick ratio of 1.71, a current ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. FedEx Co. has a 1-year low of $103.40 and a 1-year high of $305.66. The company has a 50-day moving average of $258.53 and a 200 day moving average of $263.05.

FedEx (NYSE:FDX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 17th. The shipping service provider reported $3.47 EPS for the quarter, beating the Thomson Reuters' consensus estimate of $3.21 by $0.26. The firm had revenue of $21.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.90 billion. FedEx had a net margin of 3.28% and a return on equity of 18.65%. FedEx's revenue for the quarter was up 23.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.41 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that FedEx Co. will post 17.24 EPS for the current fiscal year. Read more …

Is Aflac Inc. (AFL) A Buy?

 

An excellent dividend track record, solid balance sheet, nice operating model, good historical results, and bright forecasts for future growth makes the supplemental insurance giant worthy of your attention.

 

Aflac Inc. [NYSE: AFL] (American Family Life Assurance Company) is an American general business holding company. The company, through its subsidiaries, is involved in providing supplemental health and life insurance products to more than 50 million people in the United States and Japan.

 

Aflac is the leading provider of supplemental insurance at the worksite in the United States, selling voluntary supplemental insurance products for people who already have major medical or primary insurance coverage.

 

It is the largest foreign insurance company in Japan, insuring one in four households in Japan.

 

Aflac’s products include short-term disability, life insurance, critical illness, hospital indemnity, cancer expense, dental, accident, vision sickness and hospital intensive care, to mention a few.

 

The company pays cash benefits directly to the policyholders when they have covered accident or illness. The company was founded in 1955 and is headquartered in Columbus, Georgia.

 

 

The company’s stock is not known for extreme volatility though the pandemic obviously was an exception. However, the company’s performance during the contagion has been pretty decent.

 

Aflac’s employees have been allowed to work from home, the company has increased benefits, not only for employees, but policyholders as well, and has granted zero-interest loans to agents and agencies in the US and Japan.

 

The company has been promoting virtual and digital sales, and it has seen an upswing in demand for its products.

 

Continue reading …

 

Notable Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades for Week of January 11, 2021 (Part 1)

 

Upgrades:

 

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA) was upgraded by analysts at Robert W. Baird from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report issued on Monday, Anlyst Ratings reports. The firm currently has a $55.00 price objective on the pharmacy operator’s stock, up from their previous price objective of $41.00. Robert W. Baird’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 21.65% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on WBA. Credit Suisse Group initiated coverage on Walgreens Boots Alliance in a research note on Thursday. They set a “neutral” rating and a $42.00 price objective on the stock. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $40.00 to $44.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 5th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $43.00 to $40.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 16th. BidaskClub downgraded Walgreens Boots Alliance from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, December 18th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on Walgreens Boots Alliance from $37.00 to $33.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. The company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $43.65. Read more …

 

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) was upgraded by Morgan Stanley from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a research report issued on Monday, Briefing.com reports. The brokerage presently has a $57.00 price objective on the oil and gas company's stock, up from their previous price objective of $49.00. Morgan Stanley's price target points to a potential upside of 25.38% from the stock's current price.

XOM has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Credit Suisse Group decreased their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $47.00 to $37.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 2nd. Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $39.00 to $45.00 in a research note on Friday, December 18th. ValuEngine upgraded shares of Exxon Mobil from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 1st. Scotiabank upgraded shares of Exxon Mobil from a "sector underperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and set a $45.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. Finally, Raymond James restated a "sell" rating on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research note on Friday, September 18th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nineteen have given a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. The company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $48.30. Read more …

 

Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Smith Barney Citigroup from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday, The Fly reports.

A number of other analysts also recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Bank of America from an “overweight” rating to an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 30th. Barclays upped their price target on Bank of America from $33.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 4th. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of Bank of America from $28.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday. Credit Suisse Group raised their target price on shares of Bank of America from $31.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 11th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada set a $28.00 price target on shares of Bank of America and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Bank of America currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $31.31. Read more …

 

 

The Bank of New York Mellon (NYSE:BK) was upgraded by investment analysts at Smith Barney Citigroup from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note issued on Monday, The Fly reports. The brokerage presently has a $57.00 price target on the bank's stock, up from their previous price target of $44.00. Smith Barney Citigroup's price objective suggests a potential upside of 26.78% from the company's previous close.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Barclays increased their target price on The Bank of New York Mellon from $54.00 to $59.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, January 4th. Bank of America cut The Bank of New York Mellon from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $42.00 to $39.00 in a report on Friday, November 20th. Morgan Stanley upgraded The Bank of New York Mellon from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $51.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, November 30th. Credit Suisse Group raised their target price on The Bank of New York Mellon from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, December 11th. Finally, Citigroup Inc. 3% Minimum Coupon Principal Protected Based Upon Russell upgraded The Bank of New York Mellon from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $44.00 to $57.00 in a report on Monday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. The Bank of New York Mellon currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $47.18. Read more …

 

Notable Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades for Week of January 4, 2021 (Part 2)

 

Upgrades:

 

The Hershey (NYSE:HSY) was upgraded by analysts at Bank of America from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report issued on Wednesday, Briefing.com reports. The firm currently has a $168.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America‘s price target would suggest a potential upside of 11.46% from the stock’s current price.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on HSY. Barclays restated a “hold” rating on shares of The Hershey in a research report on Sunday, November 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of The Hershey from $152.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 9th. BidaskClub cut shares of The Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of The Hershey from $155.00 to $149.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 9th. Finally, Zacks Investment Research cut shares of The Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $148.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Friday, September 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The Hershey has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $150.88. Read more …

 

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) was upgraded by equities researchers at Bank of America from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, Briefing.com reports. The firm currently has a $261.00 price target on the information technology services provider's stock. Bank of America's price target would suggest a potential upside of 1.19% from the company's previous close.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on ACN. Citigroup Inc. 3% Minimum Coupon Principal Protected Based Upon Russell upped their target price on Accenture from $265.00 to $303.00 in a report on Friday, December 18th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Accenture from $250.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, December 18th. They noted that the move was a valuation call. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Accenture from $222.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Accenture from $263.00 to $264.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 15th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Accenture from $247.00 to $269.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, September 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. The company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $248.07. Read more …

 

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued on Thursday, Briefing.com reports. The brokerage currently has a $38.00 price objective on the financial services provider's stock, up from their prior price objective of $26.00. Jefferies Financial Group's price objective indicates a potential upside of 16.24% from the company's previous close.

WFC has been the subject of several other research reports. DA Davidson raised Wells Fargo & Company from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $27.00 to $31.00 in a research report on Thursday, November 19th. Wolfe Research raised Wells Fargo & Company from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $31.00 to $34.00 in a research report on Monday, September 14th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised Wells Fargo & Company from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $28.00 to $36.00 in a research report on Monday, December 14th. Barclays raised their price target on Wells Fargo & Company from $33.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Compass Point raised Wells Fargo & Company from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $27.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, November 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. The stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $32.06. Read more …

 

 

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) was upgraded by analysts at Oppenheimer from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report released on Thursday, Briefing.com reports. The firm currently has a $240.00 price target on the fast-food giant’s stock. Oppenheimer’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 13.74% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 5th. KeyCorp increased their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $225.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 10th. Stephens downgraded shares of McDonald’s from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $250.00 to $225.00 in a research note on Monday, December 7th. Smith Barney Citigroup started coverage on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Monday. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $230.00 price target for the company. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of McDonald’s from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $230.00 to $240.00 in a research note on Monday, December 14th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-four have given a buy rating to the stock. The stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $231.03. Read more …

 

Aflac Looks Even More Attractive Following Massive Dividend Increase

 

Insurance company raised its dividend 18% and now offers a 3% dividend yield

  

Dividend Aristocrat Aflac Inc. (NYSE:AFL) recently increased its dividend by almost 18%. This is a massive increase, especially since the company has compounded its dividend at a rate of 6.6% over the last decade.

 

Shares of the company have increased 15.4% since I last looked at the company, but Aflac's stock continues to trade with a single-digit price-earnings multiple.

 

Let's dig deeper into the company to see why Aflac remains a buy following the most recent dividend increase.

 

Quarterly highlights

 

Aflac reported third-quarter earnings results on Oct. 27. Net earnings grew 217% to $2.46 billion. This included a $1.4 billion benefit resulting from deferred tax benefits due to U.S. tax regulations. Adjusting for this, earnings per share grew 23 cents, or 19.8%, from the previous year. This was also 25 cents ahead of Wall Street analysts' expectations. Revenue improved 2.3% year over year to $5.67 billion, which topped estimates by $162.8 million.

 

Aflac retired 10.9 million shares during the quarter at an average price of $36.70. Even accounting for this, adjusted earnings per share improved 15.2%. The company has another 110.9 million shares remaining on its repurchase authorization.

 

 

In U.S. dollars, Aflac Japan's net premiums decreased 2.3% to $3.2 billion as limited-pay products reached paid-up status. Total revenue was lower by 1.8% to $3.8 billion. Net investment income was higher by 0.6% and currency exchange improved results by 1%.

 

Continue reading …

 

Aflac: Buy This Undervalued, Accidently High Yielder

 

Even after a 64% rally off of its March lows, Aflac still offers a valuation and yield that compare very favorably to its historical averages

  

Whenever the market has a temper tantrum and decides to sell everything, it often throws out good stocks along with the bad. This can lead to a situation where the dividend yield is considerably higher than usual. This is what investors refer to as an accidently high yielder.

 

One excellent example of this is Aflac Inc. (NYSE:AFL). Shares of Aflac sold off along with the rest of the market in March as the Covid-19 pandemic spooked the market and resulted in dramatic selloffs in nearly every industry. Shares of Aflac have recovered somewhat from the lows, but the stock sits more than 30% off of the 52-week high.

 

While making a new 52-week high might not occur for sometime due to the uncertainty that remains in the market, Aflac's current yield is more than 50 basis points above its 10-year average.

 

This may not sound like much, but the share price would have to increase more than 20% in order for the stock to trade with its 10-year average dividend yield.

 

 

 

 

Shares of the company also trade below the long-term average. This could be a great opportunity for investors to acquire shares of an undervalued stock offering a higher than usual dividend yield.

 

Continue reading …

 

Notable Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades for Week of July 15, 2019

Upgrades:

Bank of America upgraded shares of Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a report published on Monday morning, 24/7 WallStreet reports.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on DE. Macquarie set a $132.00 price target on shares of Deere & Company and gave the stock a hold rating in a research report on Monday, May 20th. Robert W. Baird raised shares of Deere & Company from a neutral rating to an outperform rating and upped their price target for the stock from $129.00 to $175.00 in a research report on Sunday, June 16th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of AGCO from a hold rating to a buy rating and upped their price target for the stock from $70.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Monday, June 24th. Wells Fargo & Co reissued a buy rating and issued a $85.00 price objective on shares of Carvana in a research report on Monday, July 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued a hold rating on shares of PG&E in a research report on Friday, June 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. The company has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus price target of $167.78. Read more …

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Wells Fargo & Co from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage presently has a $88.00 target price on the biopharmaceutical company’s stock, up from their previous target price of $68.00. Wells Fargo & Co‘s price objective suggests a potential upside of 31.46% from the company’s current price.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Oppenheimer set a $85.00 target price on shares of Gilead Sciences and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 12th. Evercore ISI reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research note on Friday, May 17th. Raymond James set a $60.00 target price on shares of Banner and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. Needham & Company LLC cut shares of Acquity Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. The company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $80.54. Read more …

Edward Jones upgraded shares of General Mills (NYSE:GIS) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Monday morning, The Fly reports.

A number of other brokerages also recently commented on GIS. Bank of America set a $120.00 price objective on Walmart and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered VESTAS WIND SYS/ADR from a neutral rating to an underweight rating in a report on Thursday, March 21st. Wells Fargo & Co restated a hold rating and issued a $160.00 target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Guggenheim increased their target price on General Mills from $58.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, Piper Jaffray Companies increased their target price on General Mills from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. General Mills has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $52.66. Read more …

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) was upgraded by stock analysts at Bank of America from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Wednesday, The Fly reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $207.00 price target on shares of Alibaba Group and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 12th. Credit Suisse Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a GBX 2,012 ($26.29) price target on shares of Aston Martin Lagonda Global in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of General Moly from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Mizuho began coverage on shares of Avrobio in a research note on Wednesday, June 26th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $28.00 price target on the stock. Finally, ValuEngine upgraded shares of Zogenix from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 27th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. The company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $77.07. Read more …

Aflac Incorporated Increases Quarterly Dividend $AFL

• AFLAC (NYSE:AFL) declares $0.27/share quarterly dividend, 3.8% increase from prior dividend of $0.26.
• Forward yield 2.25%
• Payable March 1; for shareholders of record Feb. 20; ex-div Feb. 19.

Notable Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades for Week of December 31, 2018

Upgrades:

Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a report released on Wednesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm currently has $77.00 price target on the medical instruments supplier’s stock, up from their previous price target of $66.00. A number of other analysts also recently commented on BAX. Zacks Investment Research reiterated a hold rating and issued a $71.00 price objective on shares of Baxter International in a report on Monday, November 12th. Piper Jaffray Companies cut their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $83.00 to $72.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 1st. Citigroup upgraded shares of Baxter International from a neutral rating to a buy rating and increased their price objective for the company from $69.00 to $76.00 in a report on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $86.00 to $76.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 1st. Finally, Credit Suisse Group began coverage on shares of Baxter International in a report on Monday, December 17th. They issued an outperform rating and a $77.00 price objective for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Baxter International has an average rating of Buy and an average target price of $75.72. Read more …

Viacom (NASDAQ:VIAB) was upgraded by analysts at Barrington Research from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report issued on Wednesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm presently has a $35.00 target price on the stock. Barrington Research’s target price suggests a potential upside of 32.63% from the stock’s previous close. Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. BidaskClub raised Viacom from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 19th. ValuEngine raised Viacom from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 20th. Zacks Investment Research raised Viacom from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $37.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, October 12th. UBS Group lowered Viacom from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $34.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Monday, November 5th. Finally, Wolfe Research began coverage on Viacom in a report on Friday, December 7th. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. The company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $33.76. Read more …

Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Wells Fargo & Co (NYSE:WFC) from an underperform rating to a sector perform rating in a research report released on Wednesday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. They currently have $45.50 target price on the financial services provider’s stock. Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on the company. Zacks Investment Research lowered Wells Fargo & Co from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report on Monday, December 17th. ValuEngine lowered Wells Fargo & Co from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 12th. Credit Suisse Group decreased their target price on Wells Fargo & Co from $62.00 to $60.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 7th. Citigroup upgraded Wells Fargo & Co from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research report on Friday, November 2nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Wells Fargo & Co to $65.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a research report on Monday, October 15th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $62.36. Read more …

Credit Suisse Group upgraded shares of Emerson Electric (NYSE:EMR) from a neutral rating to an outperform rating in a report issued on Thursday morning, Marketbeat reports. They currently have $59.60 price objective on the industrial products company’s stock. EMR has been the topic of several other research reports. Barclays lifted their price target on Emerson Electric from $85.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Monday, September 24th. Cowen reissued a buy rating and set a $81.00 price target on shares of Emerson Electric in a research report on Wednesday, September 19th. Bank of America upped their price objective on Emerson Electric from $82.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, October 4th. Berenberg Bank set a $67.00 price target on Emerson Electric and gave the stock a hold rating in a research report on Monday, November 19th. Finally, Gordon Haskett lowered Emerson Electric from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Emerson Electric currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $75.55. Read more …

Week's Most Significant Insider Trades: February 19 - 23, 2018

Disposals:

AFLAC Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) Chairman Daniel P. Amos sold 24,983 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.77, for a total transaction of $2,242,723.91. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Shares of AFLAC Incorporated (AFL) traded down $0.71 on Tuesday, reaching $88.92. 2,280,000 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,780,000. AFLAC Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $70.34 and a fifty-two week high of $91.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $34,960.00, a PE ratio of 8.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.07 and a quick ratio of 0.07. Read more …

C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc (NASDAQ:CHRW) insider James Lemke sold 4,346 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.75, for a total value of $403,091.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc (NASDAQ:CHRW) traded down $2.65 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $89.97. The stock had a trading volume of 1,204,381 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,810,855. The stock has a market capitalization of $12,820.00, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.78, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.46. C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc has a 52-week low of $63.41 and a 52-week high of $100.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.26. Read more …

Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE:TSN) Director Gaurdie E. Jr. Banister sold 7,800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.56, for a total transaction of $589,368.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Shares of Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE:TSN) traded up $0.03 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $76.04. 640,657 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,213,056. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The stock has a market cap of $27,830.00, a P/E ratio of 15.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 0.17. Tyson Foods, Inc. has a 52 week low of $57.20 and a 52 week high of $84.65. Read more …

Michael Kors Holdings Ltd (NYSE:KORS) Director M William Benedetto sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.94, for a total transaction of $255,760.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Michael Kors Holdings Ltd (NYSE KORS) traded up $0.07 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $63.97. 3,731,451 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,561,981. The stock has a market cap of $9,740.00, a P/E ratio of 18.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 2.00 and a quick ratio of 1.06. Michael Kors Holdings Ltd has a fifty-two week low of $32.38 and a fifty-two week high of $69.95. Read more …

Notable Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades for Week of January 22, 2018

Upgrades

AFLAC (NYSE:AFL) was upgraded by stock analysts at Citigroup to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday. The brokerage currently has a $100.00 price target on the financial services provider’s stock, up from their prior price target of $88.00. Citigroup’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 15.18% from the stock’s current price. Several other analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Janney Montgomery Scott reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of AFLAC in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. Zacks Investment Research raised shares of AFLAC from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 11th. Wells Fargo & Co reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $90.00 price objective (up previously from $84.00) on shares of AFLAC in a report on Tuesday, January 9th. ValuEngine raised shares of AFLAC from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Sunday, December 31st. Finally, B. Riley reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of AFLAC in a report on Monday, November 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $82.21. Read more …

Guggenheim upgraded shares of Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a report released on Monday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports. A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Piper Jaffray Companies set a $52.00 price objective on shares of Halliburton and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, December 14th. Wells Fargo & Co reiterated an outperform rating and set a $56.00 price objective (up from $51.00) on shares of Halliburton in a research note on Thursday, December 21st. Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of Halliburton from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $54.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 26th. FBR & Co dropped their price objective on shares of Halliburton from $61.00 to $55.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank started coverage on shares of Halliburton in a research note on Tuesday, October 10th. They set a buy rating and a $54.00 price objective on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. The stock presently has an average rating of Buy and an average price target of $59.73. Read more …

Scotiabank upgraded shares of Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) from a sector perform rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Monday. Scotiabank currently has $60.00 price target on the cell phone carrier’s stock. VZ has been the subject of several other research reports. Nomura raised shares of Verizon Communications from a neutral rating to a buy rating and increased their price objective for the company from $47.00 to $61.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 12th. KeyCorp reaffirmed a hold rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Saturday, October 21st. Macquarie reaffirmed a hold rating and issued a $52.00 price objective on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Sunday, October 22nd. ValuEngine raised shares of Verizon Communications from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Friday, December 1st. Finally, HSBC downgraded shares of Verizon Communications from a buy rating to a hold rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $54.83 to $42.80 in a research report on Thursday, December 14th. They noted that the move was a valuation call. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eighteen have assigned a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Verizon Communications presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $53.02. Read more …

This Week's Most Significant Insider Trades: December 18 - 22, 2017

Disposals:

Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) VP Timothy L. Rose sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $193.20, for a total value of $966,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 52,529 shares in the company, valued at $10,148,602.80. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Read more …

Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Director Richard M. Libenson sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $193.03, for a total transaction of $3,860,600.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 3,919 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $756,484.57. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Read more …

Medtronic plc. (NYSE:MDT) EVP Bryan C. Hanson sold 16,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.82, for a total transaction of $1,325,120.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 88,818 shares in the company, valued at $7,355,906.76. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Bryan C. Hanson also recently made the following trade(s):

On Thursday, November 16th, Bryan C. Hanson sold 16,000 shares of Medtronic stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.02, for a total transaction of $1,264,320.00. Read more …

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) insider Alexander R. Mackenzie sold 6,750 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.00, for a total transaction of $249,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 103,458 shares in the company, valued at $3,827,946. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Read more …

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) EVP Rady A. Johnson sold 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.07, for a total value of $296,560.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 46,963 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,740,918.41. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Shares of Pfizer Inc. (PFE) traded down $0.07 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $37.13. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 16,760,157 shares, compared to its average volume of 19,948,871. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The company has a market cap of $221,560.00, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.88, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.01. Pfizer Inc. has a 1-year low of $30.90 and a 1-year high of $37.35. Read more …  

Southwest Airlines Company (NYSE:LUV) EVP Robert E. Jordan sold 32,931 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.38, for a total value of $2,120,097.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 76,993 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,956,809.34. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Southwest Airlines Company (NYSE LUV) traded up $1.00 on Monday, reaching $65.70. The company had a trading volume of 4,475,632 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,219,967. Southwest Airlines Company has a 1 year low of $48.71 and a 1 year high of $65.75. The company has a current ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The firm has a market cap of $38,386.27, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.34. Read more …

Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE:BEN) Chairman Gregory E. Johnson sold 49,988 shares of Franklin Resources stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.58, for a total value of $2,178,477.04. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 2,116,886 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $92,253,891.88. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE:BEN) traded up $0.15 on Thursday, reaching $43.84. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,730,147 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,247,346. Franklin Resources, Inc. has a 52 week low of $39.23 and a 52 week high of $47.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 8.75 and a quick ratio of 8.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $24,194.70, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.56, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.75. Read more …

Kroger Co (NYSE:KR) insider Christopher T. Hjelm sold 16,530 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.00, for a total value of $446,310.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 243,784 shares in the company, valued at $6,582,168. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Kroger Co (NYSE KR) traded up $0.25 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $27.20. The stock had a trading volume of 3,547,958 shares, compared to its average volume of 12,239,129. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.11, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.31. The firm has a market cap of $23,796.77, a PE ratio of 13.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 0.92. Kroger Co has a 52-week low of $19.69 and a 52-week high of $35.98. Read more …

Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) SVP Rebecca Jacoby sold 75,021 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.42, for a total transaction of $2,882,306.82. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 257,476 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,892,227.92. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Shares of Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ CSCO) traded down $0.21 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $38.53. 13,323,702 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 20,433,586. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 2.87 and a quick ratio of 2.81. The company has a market capitalization of $189,340.72, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.19. Cisco Systems, Inc. has a 12 month low of $29.80 and a 12 month high of $38.89. Read more …

Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) CFO Michael S. Ciskowski sold 45,657 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.91, for a total value of $4,059,363.87. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 57,589 shares in the company, valued at $5,120,237.99. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Shares of Valero Energy Co. (VLO) traded up $0.41 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $91.13. 1,814,720 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,007,080. Valero Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $60.69 and a fifty-two week high of $91.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.91, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The company has a market capitalization of $40,250.00, a PE ratio of 19.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.20. Read more …

AFLAC Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) insider Audrey B. Tillman sold 2,360 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.64, for a total transaction of $206,830.40. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 39,331 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,446,968.84. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Read more …

AFLAC Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) VP James Todd Daniels sold 1,430 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.11, for a total value of $124,567.30. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 12,708 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,106,993.88. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Shares of AFLAC Incorporated (NYSE AFL) traded down $0.25 on Friday, hitting $87.11. The stock had a trading volume of 2,923,700 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,780,232. AFLAC Incorporated has a 12-month low of $66.50 and a 12-month high of $89.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.07 and a current ratio of 0.07. The stock has a market cap of $34,345.55, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.96, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.02. Read more … 

CVS Health Corp (NYSE:CVS) EVP Lisa Bisaccia sold 29,445 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.00, for a total value of $2,208,375.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 15,556 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,166,700. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Shares of CVS Health Corp (NYSE CVS) traded down $1.23 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $73.41. The stock had a trading volume of 5,282,188 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,074,658. CVS Health Corp has a twelve month low of $66.45 and a twelve month high of $84.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $75,610.00, a PE ratio of 12.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. Read more …

Acquisitions:

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY) Director Theodore R. Samuels II acquired 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 15th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $62.30 per share, with a total value of $249,200.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 22,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,370,600. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY) traded down $0.01 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $62.40. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 5,272,379 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,352,133. The company has a quick ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The stock has a market cap of $102,154.63, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.09, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.18. Bristol-Myers Squibb Company has a 1-year low of $46.01 and a 1-year high of $66.10. Read more …

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