Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) PT Raised to $52.00 at Morgan Stanley

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) had its price target upped by Morgan Stanley from $50.00 to $52.00 in a note issued to investors on Monday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “equal weight” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 3.20% from the stock’s current price.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Unum Group from $64.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. StockNews.com upgraded Unum Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Unum Group from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Unum Group from $47.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $56.38.

Unum Group Stock Performance

UNM stock opened at $50.39 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $50.83 and its 200 day simple moving average is $47.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.67 billion, a PE ratio of 7.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a current ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. Unum Group has a 12-month low of $39.71 and a 12-month high of $54.57.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.79 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.86 by ($0.07). The firm had revenue of $3.15 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.14 billion. Unum Group had a net margin of 10.36% and a return on equity of 16.03%. Unum Group’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.43 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 8.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Unum Group

In other Unum Group news, CFO Steven Andrew Zabel sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.06, for a total transaction of $510,600.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 122,246 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,241,880.76. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Unum Group news, CFO Steven Andrew Zabel sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.06, for a total transaction of $510,600.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 122,246 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,241,880.76. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 5,000 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $250,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 55,450 shares in the company, valued at $2,772,500. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 81,000 shares of company stock valued at $4,018,100 over the last ninety days. 0.77% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Unum Group

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. grew its position in Unum Group by 4.0% in the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 61,304 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,932,000 after acquiring an additional 2,370 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC grew its position in Unum Group by 33.2% in the first quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC now owns 15,247 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $480,000 after acquiring an additional 3,799 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. purchased a new position in Unum Group in the first quarter worth about $348,000. Bank of Montreal Can grew its position in Unum Group by 61.5% in the first quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 76,618 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,422,000 after acquiring an additional 29,166 shares in the last quarter. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. purchased a new position in Unum Group in the first quarter worth about $227,000. 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.