Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Given Outperform Rating at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods

Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated their outperform rating on shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a $95.00 price objective on the financial services provider’s stock, down from their previous price objective of $100.00.

A number of other brokerages have also recently issued reports on UNM. Barclays set a $96.00 target price on shares of Unum Group and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $87.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. UBS Group set a $87.00 price objective on shares of Unum Group and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company set a $100.00 price objective on shares of Unum Group and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $88.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 3rd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Unum Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $91.62.

Unum Group Trading Up 0.9%

NYSE UNM opened at $71.78 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.41. Unum Group has a 52-week low of $51.80 and a 52-week high of $84.48. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $79.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $78.49. The company has a quick ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.23 by ($0.16). Unum Group had a return on equity of 13.44% and a net margin of 11.77%. The firm had revenue of $3.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.35 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.16 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current year.

Unum Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 25th will be issued a $0.46 dividend. This is a boost from Unum Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 25th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.01%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Unum Group

In other Unum Group news, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 10,000 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total value of $800,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 51,170 shares in the company, valued at $4,093,600. This trade represents a 16.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.92% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Unum Group

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Quintet Private Bank Europe S.A. acquired a new position in shares of Unum Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unum Group in the 1st quarter valued at $30,000. Atwood & Palmer Inc. raised its stake in shares of Unum Group by 100.0% in the 2nd quarter. Atwood & Palmer Inc. now owns 400 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unum Group in the 1st quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Unum Group by 196.9% in the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 478 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 317 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.