Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $76.75.

UNM has been the topic of several recent research reports. Piper Sandler raised their target price on Unum Group from $74.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $79.00 price target (up from $74.00) on shares of Unum Group in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. UBS Group upgraded Unum Group to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Evercore ISI raised shares of Unum Group from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $67.00 to $84.00 in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on Unum Group from $54.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th.

Insider Activity at Unum Group

In related news, CAO Walter Lynn Rice, Jr. sold 1,500 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.56, for a total value of $104,340.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 8,361 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $581,591.16. This trade represents a 15.21 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Christopher W. Pyne sold 3,250 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.02, for a total transaction of $227,565.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 50,762 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,554,355.24. The trade was a 6.02 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 107,914 shares of company stock worth $7,998,745. 0.93% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Unum Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNM. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of Unum Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new stake in Unum Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $37,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its position in Unum Group by 38.2% in the third quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 702 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 194 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in shares of Unum Group by 26.4% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 766 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Finally, William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Unum Group during the second quarter worth $44,000. 86.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Unum Group Price Performance

NYSE UNM opened at $75.01 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $73.96 and a 200-day simple moving average of $63.67. Unum Group has a 52-week low of $46.39 and a 52-week high of $77.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.28 and a quick ratio of 0.28.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $3.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.26 billion. Unum Group had a return on equity of 15.21% and a net margin of 13.76%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.94 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Unum Group will post 8.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 24th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.18%.

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.