Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Price Target Raised to $52.00 at Morgan Stanley

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) had its target price hoisted by stock analysts at Morgan Stanley from $50.00 to $52.00 in a report released on Monday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “equal weight” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s target price suggests a potential upside of 3.09% from the stock’s current price.

UNM has been the subject of a number of other reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Unum Group from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Unum Group from $47.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Unum Group from $64.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, StockNews.com raised Unum Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $56.38.

Unum Group Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of UNM stock traded up $0.14 on Monday, reaching $50.44. 312,422 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,436,081. The stock has a market cap of $9.68 billion, a PE ratio of 7.78, a P/E/G ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.87. Unum Group has a one year low of $39.71 and a one year high of $54.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.27 and a quick ratio of 0.27. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $50.72 and a 200 day moving average price of $47.53.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.79 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.86 by ($0.07). The firm had revenue of $3.15 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.14 billion. Unum Group had a return on equity of 16.03% and a net margin of 10.36%. The company’s revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.43 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 8.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Unum Group

In other Unum Group news, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.15, for a total value of $2,457,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,076,753 shares in the company, valued at $52,922,409.95. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other news, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $250,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 55,450 shares in the company, valued at $2,772,500. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.15, for a total value of $2,457,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,076,753 shares in the company, valued at approximately $52,922,409.95. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 81,000 shares of company stock worth $4,018,100 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.77% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Unum Group

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in UNM. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Unum Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $590,489,000. Royal Bank of Canada grew its position in Unum Group by 401.2% during the second quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,639,336 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $78,196,000 after buying an additional 1,312,286 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in Unum Group by 63.6% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,504,307 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $102,752,000 after buying an additional 973,311 shares in the last quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. grew its position in Unum Group by 583.3% during the third quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 1,025,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $50,420,000 after buying an additional 875,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in Unum Group by 79.8% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,952,763 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $88,616,000 after buying an additional 866,531 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

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.