Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Raised to “Buy” at StockNews.com

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) was upgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Unum Group from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the company from $67.00 to $84.00 in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on Unum Group from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on Unum Group in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $91.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on Unum Group from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Unum Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $80.33.

Unum Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UNM opened at $74.42 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $74.18 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $66.16. Unum Group has a 52-week low of $48.28 and a 52-week high of $79.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.80.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.14 by ($0.11). Unum Group had a return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 13.81%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 9.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Unum Group

In other news, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 5,000 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.61, for a total value of $363,050.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 35,840 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,602,342.40. This trade represents a 12.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Timothy Gerald Arnold sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.92, for a total transaction of $769,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 54,827 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,217,292.84. This trade represents a 15.43 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 83,865 shares of company stock valued at $6,315,082. Corporate insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Unum Group

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 1.0% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,500,508 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $326,950,000 after buying an additional 55,014 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in Unum Group by 50.0% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 469,342 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,554,000 after acquiring an additional 156,380 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 44.1% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 16,495 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,205,000 after purchasing an additional 5,047 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its position in shares of Unum Group by 89.5% in the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 111,831 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,647,000 after purchasing an additional 52,813 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Unum Group during the third quarter worth approximately $1,074,000. 86.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.