Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Receives $67.73 Average PT from Brokerages

Shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the twelve ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eight have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $67.73.

UNM has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Unum Group from $54.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Unum Group to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Unum Group from $65.00 to $63.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $72.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th.

Unum Group Stock Down 1.5 %

UNM stock traded down $1.16 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $74.94. 1,437,758 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,253,000. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $67.66 and its 200 day moving average price is $58.29. Unum Group has a fifty-two week low of $42.37 and a fifty-two week high of $77.63. The stock has a market cap of $13.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $3.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.26 billion. Unum Group had a net margin of 13.76% and a return on equity of 15.21%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.94 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Unum Group will post 8.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 25th were issued a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 25th. Unum Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.18%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Unum Group

In related news, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 58,865 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.39, for a total transaction of $4,437,832.35. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,007,003 shares in the company, valued at $75,917,956.17. This represents a 5.52 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.16, for a total value of $320,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 58,741 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,768,822.56. This represents a 7.84 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 107,914 shares of company stock worth $7,998,745. 0.93% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unum Group during the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Unum Group during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in shares of Unum Group in the third quarter worth $31,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new position in Unum Group during the third quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Innealta Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Unum Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $40,000. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.