Unum Group’s (UNM) Neutral Rating Reiterated at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed their neutral rating on shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) in a report issued on Tuesday, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm currently has a $79.00 price objective on the financial services provider’s stock, up from their previous price objective of $74.00.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on UNM. Bank of America upped their price objective on Unum Group from $54.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $74.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Unum Group from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, UBS Group upgraded Unum Group to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $74.55.

Unum Group Stock Performance

NYSE UNM opened at $72.96 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $72.68 and a 200-day moving average price of $61.80. The firm has a market cap of $13.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.90, a PEG ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.28 and a quick ratio of 0.28. Unum Group has a 1 year low of $44.83 and a 1 year high of $77.63.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.26 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.94 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Unum Group will post 8.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.30%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.18%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, 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 owns 8,361 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $581,591.16. This represents a 15.21 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Timothy Gerald Arnold sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.92, for a total transaction of $769,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 54,827 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,217,292.84. The trade was a 15.43 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 107,914 shares of company stock valued at $7,998,745. Corporate insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Unum Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. CoreCap Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unum Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,007,000. Artemis Investment Management LLP lifted its position in Unum Group by 11.9% during the third quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 232,751 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $13,835,000 after purchasing an additional 24,664 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Unum Group by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,500,508 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $326,950,000 after buying an additional 55,014 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 156,380 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its position in shares of Unum Group by 89.5% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 111,831 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,647,000 after buying an additional 52,813 shares in the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.