Morgan Stanley Issues Positive Forecast for Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Stock Price

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) had its target price lifted by investment analysts at Morgan Stanley from $80.00 to $87.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “equal weight” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s target price suggests a potential upside of 2.65% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $81.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a “moderate buy” rating and set a $95.00 price objective on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. Bank of America cut their price objective on Unum Group from $83.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Unum Group from $99.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Unum Group from $92.00 to $90.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $93.83.

Unum Group Price Performance

Unum Group stock traded up $0.93 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $84.76. The stock had a trading volume of 105,430 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,523,692. Unum Group has a 1-year low of $68.28 and a 1-year high of $84.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.38, a PEG ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.24. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $77.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $76.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.35 and a quick ratio of 0.35.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The financial services provider reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.07. Unum Group had a return on equity of 12.60% and a net margin of 5.86%.The business had revenue of $3.36 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.91 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.04 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. Unum Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.600-8.90 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Unum Group will post 8.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Unum Group news, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 12,000 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.14, for a total value of $961,680.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 42,587 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,412,922.18. The trade was a 21.98% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.00, for a total value of $255,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 29,453 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,150,069. This trade represents a 10.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 20,352 shares of company stock worth $1,568,804. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Unum Group

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Unum Group during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. SHP Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Unum Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC acquired a new position in shares of Unum Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of Unum Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Ancora Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 385.2% during the 3rd quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 427 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 339 shares during the period. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Unum Group

Unum Group (NYSE: UNM) is a leading provider of employee benefits in the United States and selected international markets, specializing in disability, life, accident and critical illness insurance. Through both fully insured and self-funded arrangements, the company offers group coverage designed to protect income and mitigate financial hardship for employees and their families. Its portfolio includes short-term and long-term disability plans, group life and accidental death & dismemberment (AD&D) policies, as well as critical illness and hospital indemnity products.

In addition to its core product lines, Unum Group markets voluntary benefits under its Colonial Life brand, allowing employees to purchase supplemental insurance such as accident, cancer, and dental coverage directly through payroll deductions.