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

Shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the thirteen research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eight have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $76.75.

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Unum Group from $74.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $79.00 target price (up from $74.00) on shares of Unum Group in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of Unum Group from $74.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Bank of America upped their price target on Unum Group from $54.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Unum Group from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th.

Insider Activity at Unum Group

In other news, EVP Timothy Gerald Arnold sold 10,000 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.92, for a total value of $769,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 54,827 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,217,292.84. The trade was a 15.43 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Walter Lynn Rice, Jr. sold 1,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.56, for a total transaction of $104,340.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 8,361 shares of the company's stock, valued at $581,591.16. This represents a 15.21 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 107,914 shares of company stock valued at $7,998,745. Insiders own 0.93% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Unum Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of UNM. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Unum Group by 9.0% in the fourth quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 5,385 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $393,000 after acquiring an additional 444 shares during the last quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN raised its stake in shares of Unum Group by 10.6% in the fourth quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN now owns 11,815 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $863,000 after purchasing an additional 1,136 shares in the last quarter. DMC Group LLC boosted its holdings in Unum Group by 57.9% during the fourth quarter. DMC Group LLC now owns 7,105 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $519,000 after purchasing an additional 2,605 shares in the last quarter. Foster & Motley Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Foster & Motley Inc. now owns 115,594 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $8,442,000 after purchasing an additional 1,078 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ibex Wealth Advisors increased its holdings in Unum Group by 157.0% during the 4th quarter. Ibex Wealth Advisors now owns 130,296 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $9,515,000 after purchasing an additional 79,594 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.57% of the company's stock.

Unum Group Stock Down 0.7 %

NYSE UNM traded down $0.55 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $75.01. 806,473 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 890,514. Unum Group has a one year low of $46.39 and a one year high of $77.63. 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 company's 50-day moving average is $73.96 and its two-hundred day moving average is $63.67. The company has a market capitalization of $13.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.81.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $3.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.26 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.94 earnings per share. Unum Group's revenue for the quarter was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 8.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th will be paid a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 24th. Unum Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.18%.

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.