JPMorgan Chase & Co. Reaffirms Neutral Rating for Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)‘s stock had its “neutral” rating reissued by research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. in a research report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $79.00 price target on the financial services provider’s stock, up from their prior price target of $74.00. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s target price indicates a potential upside of 7.92% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on UNM. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Unum Group from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday. Truist Financial upped their target price on Unum Group from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. UBS Group raised Unum Group to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Unum Group from $69.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Unum Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $74.55.

Unum Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNM opened at $73.20 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.92, a price-to-earnings-growth 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. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $72.27 and its 200-day simple moving average is $61.56. Unum Group has a 12 month low of $44.83 and a 12 month high of $77.63.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 earnings per share (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 revenue was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.94 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 8.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in Unum Group during the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new stake in Unum Group during the 3rd quarter worth $37,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its position in Unum Group by 38.2% during the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 702 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 194 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in Unum Group by 26.4% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 766 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Finally, William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. purchased a new position in Unum Group in the second quarter valued at about $44,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.