What is DOWLING & PARTN's Forecast for UFCS FY2028 Earnings?

Key Points

• DOWLING & PARTN forecasts United Fire Group will earn $5.50 per share in FY2028, above the current consensus estimate of $5.00.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive: United Fire Group has a consensus “Strong Buy” rating and an average price target of $52.50, supported by recent upgrades and target-price increases.
• The company recently reported quarterly EPS of $1.30, surpassing the $0.69 consensus estimate, and pays a quarterly dividend of $0.20, equivalent to an annualized yield of approximately 1.5%.

United Fire Group, Inc (NASDAQ:UFCS - Free Report) - Equities researchers at DOWLING & PARTN issued their FY2028 EPS estimates for United Fire Group in a research note issued on Tuesday, September 29th. DOWLING & PARTN analyst J. Collins anticipates that the insurance provider will earn $5.50 per share for the year. The consensus estimate for United Fire Group's current full-year earnings is $5.00 per share.

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

United Fire Group Price Performance

UFCS opened at $52.59 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.78 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $53.70 and a 200-day moving average price of $47.90. United Fire Group has a twelve month low of $29.74 and a twelve month high of $56.74.

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

United Fire Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 18th. Investors of record on Friday, September 4th were given a $0.20 dividend. 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 payout ratio is 14.87%.

Insider Transactions at United Fire Group

In related news, Director Scott Carlton sold 9,777 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.52, for a total value of $542,819.04. Following the transaction, the director owned 200,552 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,134,647.04. This represents a 4.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 6.06% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Fire Group

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UFCS. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC bought a new stake in United Fire Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $69,000. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its stake in United Fire Group by 25.1% in the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,400 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $73,000 after buying an additional 281 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC bought a new position in United Fire Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $229,000. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC grew its position in United Fire Group by 47.8% during the second quarter. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC now owns 12,850 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $674,000 after acquiring an additional 4,155 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Fire Group during the second quarter worth approximately $5,935,000. 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. Founded in 1946, the company provides property and casualty insurance products through its insurance subsidiaries, including United Fire & Casualty Company.

United Fire Group primarily serves businesses, individuals and organizations through a network of independent insurance agencies. Its offerings include commercial property and casualty coverage, commercial auto insurance, workers' compensation, general liability, professional liability, surety bonds and other specialty insurance products.

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