Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Rating Lowered to Hold at StockNews.com

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

UNM has been the subject of a number of other reports. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Barclays upped their target price on Unum Group from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on Unum Group from $90.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Raymond James raised shares of Unum Group from a “market perform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $108.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Unum Group from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.62.

Unum Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UNM opened at $79.05 on Friday. Unum Group has a twelve month low of $48.38 and a twelve month high of $83.96. 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 company has a market capitalization of $13.97 billion, a PE ratio of 8.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.74. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $75.59 and a 200 day simple moving average of $68.52.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share 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%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current year.

Unum Group declared that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Tuesday, February 18th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the financial services provider to purchase up to 7.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at Unum Group

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

Institutional Trading of Unum Group

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Barrett & Company Inc. increased its stake in Unum Group by 300.0% in the fourth quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 396 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in Unum Group in the third quarter worth $31,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Unum Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unum Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Finally, Quarry LP lifted its stake in shares of Unum Group by 4,794.7% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 930 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $55,000 after buying an additional 911 shares during the period. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.