Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $90.14.

UNM has been the subject of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Unum Group from $83.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. UBS Group set a $89.00 target price on Unum Group and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Barclays set a $96.00 target price on Unum Group and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Unum Group from $87.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Unum Group from $97.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st.

Unum Group Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE UNM opened at $81.09 on Friday. Unum Group has a one year low of $51.80 and a one year high of $84.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.30 and a quick ratio of 0.30. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $80.36 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $78.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.55, a PEG ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 0.41.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.19 by ($0.15). Unum Group had a return on equity of 14.17% and a net margin of 12.31%. The business had revenue of $3.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.34 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.12 EPS. Unum Group’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Friday, July 25th will be given a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 25th. This is a boost from Unum Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.27%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is 21.67%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total value of $800,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 51,170 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,093,600. This represents a 16.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.92% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. boosted its position in shares of Unum Group by 28.3% during the first quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 3,802 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $310,000 after buying an additional 838 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new position in shares of Unum Group in the fourth quarter worth $240,000. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Unum Group by 88.4% during the first quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 17,302 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,409,000 after buying an additional 8,120 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its holdings in Unum Group by 202.1% during the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 945,271 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $77,512,000 after buying an additional 632,358 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI acquired a new stake in shares of Unum Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $105,199,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Company Profile

Unum Group, together with its subsidiaries, provides financial protection benefit solutions primarily in the United States, the United Kingdom, Poland, and internationally. It operates through Unum US, Unum International, Colonial Life, and Closed Block segment. 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.