Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the fourteen analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $88.29.

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on UNM. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Unum Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Unum Group from $76.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of Unum Group from $87.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on shares of Unum Group from $103.00 to $102.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Unum Group from $81.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd.

Unum Group Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of UNM traded up $0.35 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $81.73. The stock had a trading volume of 1,073,295 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,317,785. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.29 and a quick ratio of 0.28. Unum Group has a 52-week low of $48.38 and a 52-week high of $84.48. The business's fifty day moving average is $78.61 and its 200 day moving average is $76.65. The firm has a market cap of $14.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.38.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.19 by ($0.15). Unum Group had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 14.91%. The firm had revenue of $3.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.34 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.12 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 16th. Investors of record on Friday, April 25th were issued a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 25th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.06%. Unum Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.79%.

Unum Group announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, February 18th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to reacquire up to 7.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at Unum Group

In other news, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 now owns 51,170 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,093,600. The trade was a 16.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.99, for a total transaction of $4,099,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 980,637 shares of the company's stock, valued at $80,402,427.63. This represents a 4.85% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 67,000 shares of company stock valued at $5,478,750 over the last 90 days. 0.93% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Unum Group

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in shares of Unum Group during the 1st quarter worth approximately $3,221,000. Advisors Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Unum Group by 2.2% during the 1st quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 6,308 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $514,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Unum Group by 15.8% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 3,500 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $285,000 after buying an additional 477 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 2.7% in the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 103,467 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $8,428,000 after acquiring an additional 2,740 shares during the period. Finally, SageView Advisory Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 7.6% in the first quarter. SageView Advisory Group LLC now owns 4,777 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $389,000 after acquiring an additional 339 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.57% of the company's stock.

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.