Brokerages Set Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Price Target at $72.09

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twelve research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $73.09.

UNM has been the subject of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Unum Group from $65.00 to $63.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Unum Group from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $54.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Unum Group from $69.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of Unum Group to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th.

Unum Group Stock Performance

Shares of UNM stock opened at $73.20 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $13.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.81. Unum Group has a 52 week low of $44.83 and a 52 week 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 price is $72.27 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $61.56.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.03. The business 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 firm’s revenue was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.94 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Unum Group will post 8.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 25th were given a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 25th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.18%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 58,865 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.39, for a total value of $4,437,832.35. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,007,003 shares of the company’s stock, 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 can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Walter Lynn Rice, Jr. sold 1,500 shares of Unum Group 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 8,361 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $581,591.16. The trade was a 15.21 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 107,914 shares of company stock valued at $7,998,745 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Unum Group

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in Unum Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Unum Group in the third quarter valued at about $37,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Unum Group by 38.2% in the third quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 702 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 194 shares in the last quarter. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Unum Group in the second quarter valued at about $44,000. Finally, Quarry LP raised its stake in Unum Group by 4,794.7% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 930 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 911 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.