Unum Group (UNM) to Distribute Quarterly Dividend of $0.37 on May 17th

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) declared a quarterly dividend on Friday, April 12th, RTT News reports. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 26th will be paid a dividend of 0.365 per share by the financial services provider on Friday, May 17th. This represents a $1.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.90%.

Unum Group has raised its dividend payment by an average of 6.8% per year over the last three years and has increased its dividend annually for the last 15 consecutive years. Unum Group has a dividend payout ratio of 16.6% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect Unum Group to earn $8.77 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.46 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 16.6%.

Unum Group Price Performance

Shares of UNM stock opened at $50.30 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $50.72 and its 200 day moving average is $47.54. Unum Group has a 1-year low of $39.40 and a 1-year high of $54.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.27 and a quick ratio of 0.27. The company has a market cap of $9.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.75, a PEG ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.87.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.79 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.86 by ($0.07). Unum Group had a net margin of 10.36% and a return on equity of 16.03%. The firm had revenue of $3.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.14 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.43 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Unum Group will post 8.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Unum Group

In related news, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.15, for a total value of $2,457,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,076,753 shares in the company, valued at $52,922,409.95. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.15, for a total transaction of $2,457,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,076,753 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $52,922,409.95. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $250,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 55,450 shares in the company, valued at $2,772,500. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 81,000 shares of company stock worth $4,018,100 over the last three months. 0.94% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Unum Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Unum Group by 4.0% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 61,304 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,932,000 after purchasing an additional 2,370 shares during the period. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC boosted its holdings in Unum Group by 33.2% during the first quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC now owns 15,247 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $480,000 after buying an additional 3,799 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. acquired a new stake in Unum Group during the first quarter valued at $348,000. Bank of Montreal Can increased its holdings in Unum Group by 61.5% in the first quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 76,618 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,422,000 after buying an additional 29,166 shares in the last quarter. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. acquired a new position in shares of Unum Group in the first quarter worth about $227,000. 86.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on UNM. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Unum Group from $64.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Unum Group from $47.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Unum Group from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Unum Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Unum Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $56.50.

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.