Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Receives $86.62 Average PT from Analysts

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the fourteen brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, nine have given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $86.62.

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $90.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $81.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Unum Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th.

Unum Group Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:UNM opened at $80.86 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Unum Group has a 12 month low of $48.38 and a 12 month high of $83.96. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $76.40 and its 200 day simple moving average is $69.91. The firm has a market cap of $14.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.54, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.74.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last issued 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%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th were issued a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.08%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.74%.

Unum Group announced that its board has initiated 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 buy up to 7.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Unum Group

In other news, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.75, for a total transaction of $579,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 31,284 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,588,751. This represents a 18.28 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the company’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 directly owns 980,637 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $80,402,427.63. This trade represents a 4.85 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Unum Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in UNM. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Unum Group by 8.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,497,586 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,496,939,000 after purchasing an additional 1,596,078 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Unum Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,003,918,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased 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 purchasing an additional 51,744 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its position 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 worth $140,973,000 after purchasing an additional 480,926 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP increased its position 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 worth $124,768,000 after purchasing an additional 227,644 shares in the last quarter. 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.