Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Increases Dividend to $0.46 Per Share

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) announced a quarterly dividend on Thursday, July 10th, RTT News reports. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 25th will be given a dividend of 0.46 per share by the financial services provider on Friday, August 15th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 25th. This is a 9.5% increase from Unum Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.42.

Unum Group has a payout ratio of 17.1% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect Unum Group to earn $9.87 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.68 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 17.0%.

Unum Group Stock Down 0.6%

Unum Group stock traded down $0.47 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $80.00. The company had a trading volume of 1,032,667 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,333,595. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.30 and a quick ratio of 0.30. The firm's fifty day moving average is $80.29 and its 200-day moving average is $77.96. Unum Group has a fifty-two week low of $51.80 and a fifty-two week high of $84.48.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.19 by ($0.15). The company had revenue of $3.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.34 billion. Unum Group had a net margin of 12.31% and a return on equity of 14.17%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.12 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total transaction of $800,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 51,170 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,093,600. This represents a 16.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.93% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Unum Group

An institutional investor recently bought a new position in Unum Group stock. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new position in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 3,385 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $247,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.57% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on UNM shares. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $76.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on shares of Unum Group from $103.00 to $102.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $87.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $97.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. Finally, UBS Group set a $89.00 target price on shares of Unum Group and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $90.00.

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.