Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Cut to Hold at StockNews.com

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a note issued to investors on Friday.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on UNM. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on Unum Group from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Evercore ISI raised shares of Unum Group from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their target price for the company from $67.00 to $84.00 in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, Raymond James upgraded shares of Unum Group from a "market perform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $108.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $86.62.

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Unum Group Stock Performance

Shares of UNM stock traded down $1.69 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $77.35. 1,829,495 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,150,025. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.74. 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 has a 12-month low of $48.38 and a 12-month high of $83.96. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $75.59 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $68.72.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 13.81%. On average, analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current year.

Unum Group declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Tuesday, February 18th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the financial services provider to purchase up to 7.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at Unum Group

In other Unum Group news, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.75, for a total transaction of $579,250.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 31,284 shares in the company, valued at $2,588,751. The trade was a 18.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.99, for a total transaction of $4,099,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 980,637 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $80,402,427.63. This represents a 4.85 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.93% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Unum Group by 1.0% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,500,508 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $326,950,000 after purchasing an additional 55,014 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in shares of Unum Group by 50.0% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 469,342 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,554,000 after purchasing an additional 156,380 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in shares of Unum Group by 44.1% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 16,495 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,205,000 after acquiring an additional 5,047 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its position in shares of Unum Group by 89.5% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 111,831 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $6,647,000 after purchasing an additional 52,813 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC bought a new position in Unum Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,074,000. 86.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.