Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, nine have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $87.79.

UNM has been the topic of several research reports. Raymond James upgraded shares of Unum Group from a “market perform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $108.00 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $103.00 to $102.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Unum Group from $81.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Unum Group from $87.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on Unum Group from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Unum Group

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of UNM. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its stake in Unum Group by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 6,536 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $478,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 18,211 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,330,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in Unum Group by 26.4% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 766 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the period. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. lifted its holdings in Unum Group by 28.8% during the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 800 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Unum Group by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 13,336 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $974,000 after buying an additional 189 shares during the period. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unum Group Price Performance

Shares of UNM opened at $77.10 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.29 and a quick ratio of 0.28. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $77.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $72.61. Unum Group has a 1-year low of $48.38 and a 1-year high of $84.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.63 billion, a PE ratio of 8.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.46.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 14.91%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current year.

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

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.