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 report released on Monday.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on UNM. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Unum Group from $81.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Unum Group from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $67.00 to $84.00 in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Unum Group from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued 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 investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Unum Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $81.17.

Unum Group Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of UNM stock traded up $0.68 on Monday, hitting $74.74. The stock had a trading volume of 903,128 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,123,352. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $74.30 and its 200-day moving average is $67.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.80. Unum Group has a 52-week low of $48.38 and a 52-week high of $79.43. 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 (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 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, research analysts expect that Unum Group will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Unum Group declared that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, February 18th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in 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 usually a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Unum Group

In other news, EVP Timothy Gerald Arnold sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.92, for a total transaction of $769,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 54,827 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,217,292.84. The trade was a 15.43 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Unum Group

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Barrett & Company Inc. grew its position in Unum Group by 300.0% in the 4th 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 last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Unum Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in Unum Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in Unum Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in Unum Group by 26.4% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 766 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 160 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.