Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the fourteen analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four equities research 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 analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $88.36.

A number of analysts have issued reports on UNM shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on Unum Group from $103.00 to $102.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Unum Group from $97.00 to $95.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Raymond James raised Unum Group from a "market perform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $108.00 target price for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Unum Group from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $81.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd.

Unum Group Trading Up 0.5 %

UNM traded up $0.35 on Thursday, hitting $77.26. The company had a trading volume of 1,598,757 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,287,854. The company's fifty day moving average price is $77.79 and its 200 day moving average price is $73.11. Unum Group has a 1 year low of $48.38 and a 1 year high of $84.48. The company has a current ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market cap of $13.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.16, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.46.

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Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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, equities analysts expect that Unum Group will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 16th. Investors of record on Friday, April 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 25th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.17%. Unum Group's payout ratio is currently 17.74%.

Unum Group announced that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Tuesday, February 18th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to purchase up to 7.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.75, for a total transaction of $579,250.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 31,284 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,588,751. This trade represents a 18.28 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.99, for a total value of $4,099,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 980,637 shares of the company's stock, valued at $80,402,427.63. This trade represents a 4.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.93% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Unum Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 4.0% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,558 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $290,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Unum Group by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 6,536 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $478,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares during the period. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC grew its stake in Unum Group by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 18,211 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,330,000 after buying an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in Unum Group by 26.4% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 766 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 28.8% in the fourth quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 800 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares during the period. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.