Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Upgraded to Buy at StockNews.com

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) was upgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report issued on Friday.

UNM has been the subject of several other research reports. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on Unum Group in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $91.00 price target for the company. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Unum Group from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $88.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price target on Unum Group from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $80.33.

Unum Group Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE UNM opened at $74.42 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $13.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.86, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.80. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $74.18 and a 200 day simple moving average of $66.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.29. Unum Group has a 52 week low of $48.28 and a 52 week high of $79.43.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share 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%. On average, research analysts predict that Unum Group will post 9.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Unum Group

In other news, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.61, for a total transaction of $363,050.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 35,840 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,602,342.40. This trade represents a 12.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Gloria C. Larson sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.50, for a total transaction of $745,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 121,491 shares in the company, valued at $9,051,079.50. The trade was a 7.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 83,865 shares of company stock valued at $6,315,082 in the last 90 days. 0.93% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Unum Group

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 8.4% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,497,586 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,496,939,000 after purchasing an additional 1,596,078 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Unum Group in the fourth quarter valued at $1,003,918,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Unum Group by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,552,252 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $405,481,000 after acquiring an additional 51,744 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in Unum Group by 33.2% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,930,349 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $140,973,000 after acquiring an additional 480,926 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Unum Group by 15.4% in the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,708,452 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $124,768,000 after acquiring an additional 227,644 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

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.