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

Shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $56.38.

A number of research firms have weighed in on UNM. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $47.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Unum Group from $64.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Unum Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Unum Group from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Unum Group from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 15th.

Unum Group Stock Up 2.3 %

UNM opened at $51.87 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The stock has a market cap of $9.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.99, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.87. Unum Group has a twelve month low of $40.04 and a twelve month high of $54.57. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $51.47 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $47.69.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.97 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $3.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.20 billion. Unum Group had a net margin of 10.36% and a return on equity of 16.03%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.87 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Unum Group will post 8.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 17th. Investors of record on Friday, April 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.365 per share. This represents a $1.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 25th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.50%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Steven Andrew Zabel sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.06, for a total transaction of $510,600.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 122,246 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,241,880.76. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, CFO Steven Andrew Zabel sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.06, for a total value of $510,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 122,246 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,241,880.76. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $250,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 55,450 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,772,500. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 81,000 shares of company stock valued at $4,018,100. Company insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Unum Group

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated bought a new position in shares of Unum Group in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in Unum Group in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. MCF Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Unum Group in the 1st quarter worth $35,000. Bangor Savings Bank raised its position in Unum Group by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 664 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares during the period. Finally, Neo Ivy Capital Management purchased a new position in Unum Group in the 3rd quarter worth $36,000. Institutional investors own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

About Unum Group

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.