Equities Analysts Set Expectations for UFCS FY2026 Earnings

Key Points

• Analyst estimates for FY2026 came in below consensus. DOWLING & PARTN projected United Fire Group will earn $4.50 per share in FY2026, under the broader consensus estimate of $4.88. The firm also forecast FY2027 EPS of $4.85.
• Wall Street sentiment remains positive on UFCS. Recent research updates included higher price targets from JonesTrading and Piper Sandler, plus multiple upgrades from other firms. MarketBeat says the stock now has an average Buy rating and an average target price of $51.00.
• The company is rewarding shareholders with a dividend and buyback. United Fire Group declared a quarterly dividend of $0.20 per share and approved a stock repurchase program for up to 2 million shares, signaling confidence in the stock’s valuation.

United Fire Group, Inc (NASDAQ:UFCS - Free Report) - Stock analysts at DOWLING & PARTN issued their FY2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of United Fire Group in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, May 20th. DOWLING & PARTN analyst J. Collins forecasts that the insurance provider will post earnings of $4.50 per share for the year. The consensus estimate for United Fire Group's current full-year earnings is $4.88 per share. DOWLING & PARTN also issued estimates for United Fire Group's FY2027 earnings at $4.85 EPS.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on UFCS. JonesTrading increased their target price on United Fire Group from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on United Fire Group from $45.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded United Fire Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of United Fire Group in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded United Fire Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and three have assigned a Buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $51.00.

United Fire Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ UFCS opened at $45.04 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $41.44 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $38.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.16 billion, a PE ratio of 9.08 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 0.34 and a quick ratio of 0.34. United Fire Group has a fifty-two week low of $25.79 and a fifty-two week high of $49.94.

United Fire Group (NASDAQ:UFCS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The insurance provider reported $1.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.87 by $0.29. The business had revenue of $369.44 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $340.16 million. United Fire Group had a return on equity of 14.65% and a net margin of 9.16%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Fire Group

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Allianz Asset Management GmbH purchased a new stake in shares of United Fire Group in the third quarter worth $5,940,000. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. raised its position in United Fire Group by 16.0% during the third quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 227,268 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $6,913,000 after purchasing an additional 31,400 shares in the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP purchased a new stake in United Fire Group during the third quarter valued at about $2,134,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of United Fire Group by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,511,541 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $54,945,000 after buying an additional 35,338 shares during the period. Finally, LSV Asset Management increased its holdings in shares of United Fire Group by 166.7% in the third quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 95,000 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $2,890,000 after buying an additional 59,384 shares during the period. 62.68% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Christopher R. Drahozal sold 4,250 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.49, for a total transaction of $163,582.50. Following the sale, the director owned 429,113 shares in the company, valued at $16,516,559.37. This represents a 0.98% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Dee Ann Mcintyre sold 4,250 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.84, for a total value of $165,070.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 437,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,996,888.92. This trade represents a 0.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 12,750 shares of company stock worth $493,723. 6.06% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

United Fire Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 19th. Investors of record on Friday, June 5th will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. United Fire Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 16.13%.

United Fire Group declared that its board has approved a stock buyback program on Wednesday, May 20th that authorizes the company to repurchase 2,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the insurance provider to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

United Fire Group Company Profile

United Fire Group, Inc NASDAQ: UFCS is an insurance holding company based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, that specializes in property and casualty coverage for commercial and personal lines. The company underwrites business through three primary segments: commercial, personal and specialty insurance. Within the commercial segment, United Fire Group offers tailored policies for small- and medium-sized enterprises, including general liability, commercial property and workers' compensation. Its personal lines cover homeowners, auto, farm and umbrella policies.

United Fire Group distributes its products primarily through a national network of independent insurance agents and brokers.

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