Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eight have assigned a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $97.0833.

A number of research analysts recently commented on UNM shares. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Morgan Stanley set a $85.00 price objective on Unum Group in a report on Monday, December 15th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Unum Group from $96.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Unum Group from $98.00 to $104.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $94.00 to $92.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 4th.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Walter Lynn Rice, Jr. sold 900 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.50, for a total value of $66,150.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 8,940 shares in the company, valued at approximately $657,090. The trade was a 9.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Steven Andrew Zabel sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.38, for a total value of $572,850.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 113,807 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,692,578.66. This represents a 6.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 12,400 shares of company stock valued at $951,160. 0.93% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in UNM. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Unum Group in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unum Group in the second quarter worth about $30,000. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new position in Unum Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Ancora Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Unum Group by 385.2% during the 3rd quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 427 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 339 shares during the period. Finally, Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC raised its position in Unum Group by 44.0% during the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 537 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares during the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unum Group Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of UNM opened at $76.52 on Wednesday. Unum Group has a 1-year low of $66.81 and a 1-year high of $84.48. The company has a market capitalization of $12.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 0.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.36 and a quick ratio of 0.36. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $77.05 and its 200 day simple moving average is $75.51.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The financial services provider reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.15 by ($0.06). Unum Group had a return on equity of 13.09% and a net margin of 6.99%.The company had revenue of $3.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.31 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.13 EPS. Unum Group’s quarterly revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, December 4th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to repurchase up to 8.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th will be paid a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 30th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. Unum Group’s payout ratio is currently 35.87%.

Unum Group Company Profile

Unum Group (NYSE: UNM) is a leading provider of employee benefits in the United States and selected international markets, specializing in disability, life, accident and critical illness insurance. Through both fully insured and self-funded arrangements, the company offers group coverage designed to protect income and mitigate financial hardship for employees and their families. Its portfolio includes short-term and long-term disability plans, group life and accidental death & dismemberment (AD&D) policies, as well as critical illness and hospital indemnity products.

In addition to its core product lines, Unum Group markets voluntary benefits under its Colonial Life brand, allowing employees to purchase supplemental insurance such as accident, cancer, and dental coverage directly through payroll deductions.