Brokerages Anticipate Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Will Post Earnings of $0.81 Per Share

Brokerages expect Unum Group (NYSE:UNM – Get Rating) to post earnings of $0.81 per share for the current fiscal quarter, according to Zacks. Fourteen analysts have provided estimates for Unum Group’s earnings. The lowest EPS estimate is $0.60 and the highest is $0.91. Unum Group posted earnings per share of $1.04 during the same quarter last year, which would suggest a negative year over year growth rate of 22.1%. The business is scheduled to announce its next earnings report after the market closes on Monday, January 1st.

According to Zacks, analysts expect that Unum Group will report full year earnings of $4.48 per share for the current fiscal year, with EPS estimates ranging from $4.15 to $4.70. For the next fiscal year, analysts expect that the company will report earnings of $5.77 per share, with EPS estimates ranging from $5.45 to $6.20. Zacks’ earnings per share averages are a mean average based on a survey of research analysts that cover Unum Group.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM – Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 1st. The financial services provider reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.98 billion. Unum Group had a net margin of 6.86% and a return on equity of 8.09%. The business’s revenue was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.15 earnings per share.

Several research firms recently weighed in on UNM. Zacks Investment Research cut shares of Unum Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $29.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, February 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Unum Group from $30.00 to $34.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 5th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Unum Group in a research report on Thursday, March 31st. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Unum Group in a research report on Friday, January 21st. They set a “market perform” rating and a $26.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $28.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $29.88.

In other news, COO Michael Q. Simonds sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.00, for a total transaction of $600,000.00. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.55, for a total transaction of $976,500.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 76,814 shares in the company, valued at $2,500,295.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in UNM. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Unum Group by 86.0% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 52,265 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,310,000 after purchasing an additional 24,167 shares in the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund raised its position in shares of Unum Group by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 261,616 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,556,000 after buying an additional 3,297 shares in the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its position in shares of Unum Group by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 73,402 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,839,000 after buying an additional 2,479 shares in the last quarter. Xponance Inc. raised its position in Unum Group by 99.4% in the 3rd quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 23,304 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $584,000 after purchasing an additional 11,617 shares during the period. Finally, Advisor Group Holdings Inc. raised its position in Unum Group by 31.1% in the 3rd quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 196,531 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,926,000 after purchasing an additional 46,672 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.47% of the company’s stock.

Shares of UNM opened at $30.52 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $6.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.59, a PEG ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 1.53. Unum Group has a 1-year low of $22.25 and a 1-year high of $34.28. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $30.29 and its 200 day simple moving average is $27.53. The company has a current ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 29th will be given a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 28th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.93%. Unum Group’s payout ratio is currently 29.85%.

Unum Group Company Profile (Get Rating)

Unum Group, together with its subsidiaries, provides financial protection benefit solutions primarily in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Poland. It operates through Unum US, Unum International, Colonial Life, and Closed Block segments. The company offers group long-term and short-term disability, group life, and accidental death and dismemberment products; supplemental and voluntary products, such as individual disability, voluntary benefits, and dental and vision products; and accident, sickness, disability, life, and cancer and critical illness products.

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