Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Receives $72.09 Average Price Target from Analysts

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eight have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $72.09.

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on UNM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Unum Group from $65.00 to $63.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Piper Sandler increased their target price on shares of Unum Group from $74.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Unum Group from $69.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Unum Group from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Unum Group from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th.

Unum Group Price Performance

NYSE UNM opened at $72.93 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.28. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $71.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $61.07. Unum Group has a 52-week low of $44.83 and a 52-week high of $77.63. The company has a market cap of $13.32 billion, a PE ratio of 7.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.79.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.03. Unum Group had a net margin of 13.76% and a return on equity of 15.21%. The firm had revenue of $3.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.26 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.94 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 8.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 25th were issued a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 25th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.30%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.18%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.16, for a total transaction of $320,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 58,741 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,768,822.56. This trade represents a 7.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Christopher W. Pyne sold 3,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.02, for a total transaction of $227,565.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 50,762 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,554,355.24. This trade represents a 6.02 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 107,914 shares of company stock valued at $7,998,745 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Unum Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. DGS Capital Management LLC grew its position in Unum Group by 4.6% during the third quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 36,962 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,197,000 after buying an additional 1,611 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in Unum Group by 50.0% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 469,342 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,554,000 after buying an additional 156,380 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Unum Group during the third quarter valued at $58,000. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Unum Group by 10.6% during the third quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 12,778 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $775,000 after buying an additional 1,221 shares during the period. Finally, Vestcor Inc grew its position in Unum Group by 156.2% during the third quarter. Vestcor Inc now owns 88,728 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,274,000 after buying an additional 54,095 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

About Unum Group

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.