Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Given New $87.00 Price Target at Piper Sandler

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) had its price objective raised by Piper Sandler from $82.00 to $87.00 in a research note published on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an overweight rating on the financial services provider's stock.

A number of other brokerages have also recently weighed in on UNM. 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 report on Thursday, October 10th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of Unum Group in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They set an "outperform" rating and a $91.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $79.00 price target (up previously from $74.00) on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Unum Group has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $79.45.

Unum Group Trading Down 0.6 %

UNM stock traded down $0.45 on Thursday, hitting $76.50. 593,600 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,114,879. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.80. The business's fifty day moving average is $74.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $65.49. Unum Group has a twelve month low of $47.65 and a twelve month high of $79.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.29 and a quick ratio of 0.28.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.14 by ($0.11). Unum Group had a return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 13.81%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 9.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be given a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.20%. Unum Group's payout ratio is 17.74%.

Insider Activity at Unum Group

In other Unum Group news, EVP Timothy Gerald Arnold sold 10,000 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.92, for a total value of $769,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 54,827 shares in the company, valued at $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 is available at this link. Also, Director Hanley Ronald P. O sold 14,299 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.10, for a total value of $1,030,957.90. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 38,819 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,798,849.90. This trade represents a 26.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 98,164 shares of company stock valued at $7,346,040. Corporate insiders own 0.93% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Unum Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Unum Group by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,552,252 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $405,481,000 after purchasing an additional 51,744 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Unum Group by 23.3% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,462,917 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $106,837,000 after purchasing an additional 276,655 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH raised its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 44.9% during the fourth quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 1,264,994 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $92,383,000 after buying an additional 392,191 shares during the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Unum Group by 151.7% during the third quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 509,702 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $30,297,000 after buying an additional 307,175 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in shares of Unum Group by 50.0% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 469,342 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,554,000 after buying an additional 156,380 shares during the period. 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.