Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $81.17.

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Unum Group from $88.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Unum Group from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $79.00 price objective (up from $74.00) on shares of Unum Group in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Morgan Stanley boosted 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 note on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Unum Group from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th.

Unum Group Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of Unum Group stock opened at $74.07 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $74.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $66.95. Unum Group has a fifty-two week low of $48.38 and a fifty-two week high of $79.43. The firm has a market cap of $13.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.80.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.14 by ($0.11). Unum Group had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 14.91%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Tuesday, February 18th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to repurchase up to 7.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th were issued a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.27%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.74%.

Insider Activity

In other Unum Group news, EVP Timothy Gerald Arnold sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.92, for a total transaction of $769,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 54,827 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,217,292.84. This represents a 15.43 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Unum Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNM. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 8.4% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,497,586 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,496,939,000 after purchasing an additional 1,596,078 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Unum Group in the 4th quarter worth about $1,003,918,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Unum Group by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,552,252 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $405,481,000 after acquiring an additional 51,744 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in Unum Group by 33.2% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,930,349 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $140,973,000 after acquiring an additional 480,926 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in Unum Group by 15.4% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,708,452 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $124,768,000 after acquiring an additional 227,644 shares in the last quarter. 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.