Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Stock Rating Upgraded by Raymond James

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) was upgraded by stock analysts at Raymond James from a “market perform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued on Wednesday, Marketbeat reports. The firm presently has a $108.00 target price on the financial services provider’s stock. Raymond James’ price objective suggests a potential upside of 38.55% from the stock’s current price.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Unum Group from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $90.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. StockNews.com cut shares of Unum Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Unum Group from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $79.00 target price (up previously from $74.00) on shares of Unum Group in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.62.

Unum Group Stock Down 4.2 %

NYSE UNM opened at $77.95 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $14.23 billion, a PE ratio of 8.23, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.80. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $75.20 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $68.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Unum Group has a fifty-two week low of $48.38 and a fifty-two week high of $83.96.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.14 by ($0.11). Unum Group had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 14.91%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Tuesday, February 18th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to repurchase up to 7.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity at Unum Group

In other news, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.75, for a total transaction of $579,250.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,284 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,588,751. This trade represents a 18.28 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.99, for a total transaction of $4,099,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 980,637 shares in the company, valued at approximately $80,402,427.63. This trade represents a 4.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.93% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Unum Group

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Unum Group by 60.3% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 3,218 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $191,000 after purchasing an additional 1,211 shares during the period. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC grew its position in Unum Group by 23.5% during the 3rd quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 4,941 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $313,000 after purchasing an additional 940 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its stake in Unum Group by 40.0% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 108,076 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,855,000 after purchasing an additional 30,881 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lifted its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 24.0% in the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 226,478 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $13,462,000 after purchasing an additional 43,773 shares in the last quarter. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Unum Group by 2.8% in the third quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 13,147 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $781,000 after buying an additional 361 shares during the period. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.