Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Earns Outperform Rating from Analysts at BMO Capital Markets

BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNMFree Report) in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, MarketBeat.com reports. The firm issued an outperform rating and a $91.00 price target on the financial services provider’s stock.

Several other brokerages have also issued reports on UNM. Evercore ISI raised Unum Group from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $67.00 to $84.00 in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Unum Group from $54.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. UBS Group raised shares of Unum Group to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $74.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of Unum Group from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $76.75.

View Our Latest Analysis on Unum Group

Unum Group Stock Performance

NYSE:UNM opened at $75.01 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $73.96 and its 200 day simple moving average is $63.76. The stock has a market cap of $13.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.81. Unum Group has a twelve month low of $46.39 and a twelve month high of $77.63.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNMGet Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.03. Unum Group had a net margin of 13.76% and a return on equity of 15.21%. The firm had revenue of $3.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.26 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.94 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Unum Group will post 8.54 EPS for the current year.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.24%. Unum Group’s payout ratio is 18.18%.

Insider Transactions at Unum Group

In related news, EVP Timothy Gerald Arnold sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.92, for a total value of $769,200.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 54,827 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,217,292.84. This trade represents a 15.43 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Walter Lynn Rice, Jr. sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.56, for a total transaction of $104,340.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 8,361 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $581,591.16. This represents a 15.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 107,914 shares of company stock worth $7,998,745 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Unum Group

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UNM. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in Unum Group by 26.4% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 766 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. grew its stake in shares of Unum Group by 28.8% during the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 800 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its holdings in Unum Group by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 5,551 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $330,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 194 shares during the period. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its holdings in Unum Group by 3.1% during the third quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 6,592 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $392,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Unum Group Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

Further Reading

Analyst Recommendations for Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

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