Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Given New $96.00 Price Target at Jefferies Financial Group

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) had its target price increased by Jefferies Financial Group from $91.00 to $96.00 in a research note released on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Unum Group from $69.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Unum Group from $54.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $66.00 target price (up from $64.00) on shares of Unum Group in a report on Friday, September 27th. Evercore ISI raised Unum Group from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $67.00 to $84.00 in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded Unum Group to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $70.64.

Unum Group Price Performance

Shares of UNM stock opened at $73.61 on Tuesday. Unum Group has a 12 month low of $43.26 and a 12 month high of $77.63. The company has a market capitalization of $13.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.79. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $68.78 and a two-hundred day moving average of $58.86. The company has a current ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $3.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.26 billion. Unum Group had a return on equity of 15.21% and a net margin of 13.76%. Unum Group’s quarterly revenue was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.94 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Unum Group will post 8.54 EPS for the current year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 25th were given a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 25th. Unum Group’s payout ratio is presently 18.18%.

Insider Transactions at Unum Group

In other Unum Group news, CAO Walter Lynn Rice, Jr. sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.56, for a total transaction of $104,340.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 8,361 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $581,591.16. The trade was a 15.21 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 5,000 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.16, for a total transaction of $320,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 58,741 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,768,822.56. This represents a 7.84 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 107,914 shares of company stock worth $7,998,745. Corporate insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Unum Group

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of UNM. DGS Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Unum Group by 4.6% in the third quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 36,962 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,197,000 after buying an additional 1,611 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised 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 valued at $29,554,000 after acquiring an additional 156,380 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in Unum Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $58,000. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 10.6% in the 3rd quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 12,778 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $775,000 after buying an additional 1,221 shares during the period. Finally, Vestcor Inc increased its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 156.2% in the third quarter. Vestcor Inc now owns 88,728 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,274,000 after acquiring an additional 54,095 shares in the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.