Aflac Stock (AFL) Up Despite Cyberattack
Aflac (AFL) stock was up on Friday even after the insurance company announced it was the target of a cyberattack. According to the company, it saw suspicious activity on its U.S. network but managed to shut it down within hours.
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Aflac said its investigation into the cyberattack is still in the early stages. However, it noted that affected information may include 'claims information, health information, social security numbers, and/or other personal information, related to customers, beneficiaries, employees, agents, and other individuals in our U.S. business.'
Aflac pointed out that its business and systems remain operational. The company is also offering, free credit monitoring and identity theft protection, and Medical Shield for 24 months to those who requests such from its call center. That number is 1-855-361-0305.
AFL Stock Movement Today
Despite the cyberattack, shares of AFL stock got a 0.81% boost on Friday. That extends its year-to-date gain of 1.23% and its 12-month rise of 14.45%. This seems to suggest investors weren't worried about the potential data breach. Roughly 859,000 shares have traded today, compared to a three-month daily average of about 1.95 million units.
The latest coverage of AFL stock came from five-star Piper Sandler analyst John Barnidge earlier this month. He reiterated a Buy rating, but lowered his price target from $124 to $120, suggesting a possible 15.99% upside.
Is Aflac Stock a Buy, Sell, or Hold?
Turning to Wall Street, the analysts' consensus rating for Aflac is Hold, based on three Buy, eight Hold, and a single Sell rating over the past three months. With that comes an average AFL stock price target of $105.67, representing a potential 2.02% upside for the shares.
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