Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Stock

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) had its target price raised by research analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $88.00 to $90.00 in a report released on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “outperform” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods’ price target indicates a potential upside of 19.31% from the stock’s current price.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $74.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of Unum Group in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $91.00 target price for the company. Evercore ISI raised shares of Unum Group from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $67.00 to $84.00 in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Unum Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $80.33.

Unum Group Stock Performance

Shares of UNM opened at $75.44 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $74.21 and a 200-day moving average of $65.87. Unum Group has a one year low of $48.11 and a one year high of $79.43. The company has a market cap of $13.78 billion, a PE ratio of 7.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.80. 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) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.14 by ($0.11). Unum Group had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 14.91%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 9.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.61, for a total value of $363,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 35,840 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,602,342.40. The trade was a 12.24 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 58,865 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.39, for a total transaction of $4,437,832.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,007,003 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $75,917,956.17. The trade was a 5.52 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 83,865 shares of company stock worth $6,315,082. 0.93% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Unum Group

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Unum Group by 1.0% during 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 purchasing an additional 55,014 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in Unum Group by 50.0% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 469,342 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,554,000 after acquiring an additional 156,380 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in Unum Group by 44.1% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 16,495 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,205,000 after acquiring an additional 5,047 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its holdings in 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 worth $6,647,000 after acquiring an additional 52,813 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC bought a new stake in Unum Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,074,000. 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.