Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Downgraded to Hold Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report published on Thursday.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. UBS Group upgraded shares of Unum Group to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Evercore ISI raised shares of Unum Group from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the company from $67.00 to $84.00 in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Unum Group from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on Unum Group from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets started coverage on Unum Group in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $91.00 price objective for the company. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Unum Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $79.45.

Unum Group Stock Performance

Shares of UNM stock opened at $76.62 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $74.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $65.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.28. Unum Group has a 1 year low of $46.64 and a 1 year high of $79.43. The firm has a market cap of $13.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.29, a PEG ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 0.80.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.14 by ($0.11). Unum Group had a return on equity of 15.21% and a net margin of 13.76%. Analysts predict that Unum Group will post 8.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.19%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 24th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.18%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 5,000 shares of Unum Group 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 directly owns 35,840 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,602,342.40. This trade represents a 12.24 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Hanley Ronald P. O sold 14,299 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.10, for a total value of $1,030,957.90. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 38,819 shares in the company, valued at $2,798,849.90. This trade represents a 26.92 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 98,164 shares of company stock worth $7,346,040. 0.93% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Barrett & Company Inc. grew its stake in Unum Group by 300.0% in the 4th quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 396 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unum Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Unum Group in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Unum Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Unum Group by 38.2% during the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 702 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 194 shares in the last quarter. 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.