Unum Group (UNM) to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $0.46 on February 20th

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) announced a quarterly dividend on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th will be paid a dividend of 0.46 per share by the financial services provider on Friday, February 20th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 30th.

Unum Group has raised its dividend by an average of 0.1%annually over the last three years and has raised its dividend every year for the last 16 years. Unum Group has a dividend payout ratio of 18.8% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect Unum Group to earn $9.87 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.84 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 18.6%.

Unum Group Trading Down 1.6%

Unum Group stock opened at $76.12 on Friday. Unum Group has a 12-month low of $66.81 and a 12-month high of $84.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.36 and a quick ratio of 0.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.74 billion, a PE ratio of 14.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.20. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $77.10 and a 200-day simple moving average of $75.97.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last announced its earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The financial services provider reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.15 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $3.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.31 billion. Unum Group had a return on equity of 13.09% and a net margin of 6.99%.Unum Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.13 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNM has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $115.00 target price on shares of Unum Group in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Unum Group in a report on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley set a $85.00 price objective on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Monday, December 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Unum Group from $94.00 to $92.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Finally, Barclays restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Unum Group in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $97.08.

Unum Group Company Profile

Unum Group (NYSE: UNM) is a leading provider of employee benefits in the United States and selected international markets, specializing in disability, life, accident and critical illness insurance. Through both fully insured and self-funded arrangements, the company offers group coverage designed to protect income and mitigate financial hardship for employees and their families. Its portfolio includes short-term and long-term disability plans, group life and accidental death & dismemberment (AD&D) policies, as well as critical illness and hospital indemnity products.

In addition to its core product lines, Unum Group markets voluntary benefits under its Colonial Life brand, allowing employees to purchase supplemental insurance such as accident, cancer, and dental coverage directly through payroll deductions.