What is DOWLING & PARTN's Forecast for UFCS FY2026 Earnings?

Key Points

• DOWLING & PARTN forecasts United Fire Group will earn $4.95 per share in FY2026, slightly below the $5.00 consensus estimate, and projects FY2027 EPS of $5.15.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with United Fire Group carrying an average “Strong Buy” rating and a consensus price target of $52.50, despite mixed recent rating changes.
• United Fire Group recently exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $1.30 EPS versus the $0.69 consensus and revenue of $383.73 million versus estimates of $347.76 million; it also pays a $0.20 quarterly dividend.

United Fire Group, Inc (NASDAQ:UFCS - Free Report) - Analysts at DOWLING & PARTN issued their FY2026 EPS estimates for shares of United Fire Group in a research note issued on Tuesday, September 29th. DOWLING & PARTN analyst J. Collins expects that the insurance provider will post earnings per share of $4.95 for the year. The consensus estimate for United Fire Group's current full-year earnings is $5.00 per share. DOWLING & PARTN also issued estimates for United Fire Group's FY2027 earnings at $5.15 EPS.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on UFCS. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of United Fire Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, August 2nd. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of United Fire Group from $57.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Zacks Research raised shares of United Fire Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, September 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of United Fire Group from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (a-)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have given a Buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Strong Buy" and a consensus price target of $52.50.

United Fire Group Trading Up 2.6%

Shares of United Fire Group stock opened at $53.94 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.39 billion, a PE ratio of 10.03 and a beta of 0.47. United Fire Group has a 1 year low of $29.74 and a 1 year high of $56.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 0.34 and a quick ratio of 0.34. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $53.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $48.02.

United Fire Group (NASDAQ:UFCS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The insurance provider reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.69 by $0.61. United Fire Group had a return on equity of 15.19% and a net margin of 9.57%.The firm had revenue of $383.73 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $347.76 million.

United Fire Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 18th. Investors of record on Friday, September 4th were issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 4th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. United Fire Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 14.87%.

Insider Transactions at United Fire Group

In other news, Director Scott Carlton sold 9,777 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.52, for a total transaction of $542,819.04. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 200,552 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,134,647.04. This represents a 4.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 6.06% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Fire Group

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in United Fire Group during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $183,136,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in United Fire Group by 0.8% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,489,968 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $55,219,000 after acquiring an additional 12,329 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in United Fire Group in the second quarter worth $24,936,000. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in United Fire Group by 5.0% in the first quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 211,768 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $7,848,000 after acquiring an additional 10,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new position in United Fire Group in the 2nd quarter worth $9,720,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.68% of the company's stock.

United Fire Group Company Profile

United Fire Group, Inc NASDAQ: UFCS is an insurance holding company headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Through its subsidiaries, the company provides property and casualty insurance products to businesses and individuals, primarily through a network of independent insurance agents.

United Fire Group offers commercial insurance covering areas such as commercial property, general liability, commercial automobile, workers' compensation and surety bonds. Its personal insurance products include automobile and homeowners coverage.

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