Brevan Howard Capital Management LP Has $879,000 Stock Holdings in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Brevan Howard Capital Management LP decreased its position in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) by 58.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 12,031 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 17,200 shares during the period. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP's holdings in Unum Group were worth $879,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barrett & Company Inc. grew its position in Unum Group by 300.0% during the 4th quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 396 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unum Group during the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unum Group during the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 28.8% during the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 800 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of Unum Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $58,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.57% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on UNM shares. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Unum Group from $81.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $75.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Unum Group from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $88.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.75, for a total transaction of $579,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 31,284 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,588,751. This represents a 18.28% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.99, for a total transaction of $4,099,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 980,637 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $80,402,427.63. This trade represents a 4.85% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 67,000 shares of company stock valued at $5,478,750. Company insiders own 0.92% of the company's stock.

Unum Group Stock Up 0.5%

UNM stock traded up $0.37 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $80.84. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,030,633 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,308,806. 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 has a twelve month low of $48.38 and a twelve month high of $84.48. The company's fifty day moving average price is $78.39 and its 200 day moving average price is $75.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.54, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.38.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.19 by ($0.15). Unum Group had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 14.91%. The business had revenue of $3.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.34 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.12 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current year.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 16th. Investors of record on Friday, April 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.08%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 25th. Unum Group's payout ratio is 19.79%.

Unum Group declared that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Tuesday, February 18th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the financial services provider to repurchase up to 7.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Unum Group 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.