Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Trims Stock Position in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP decreased its stake in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) by 1.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,954,260 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 84,921 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 2.71% of Unum Group worth $361,811,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Barrett & Company Inc. grew its holdings in Unum Group by 300.0% in the fourth quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 396 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares during the period. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Unum Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Unum Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $45,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position 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 buying an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Unum Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $58,000. Institutional investors own 86.57% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on UNM shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Unum Group from $97.00 to $95.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on shares of Unum Group from $103.00 to $102.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective 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. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Unum Group from $75.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $88.36.

Unum Group Stock Performance

Shares of Unum Group stock traded down $0.42 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $78.50. 391,813 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,302,113. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $77.97 and a 200-day simple moving average of $73.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.29 and a quick ratio of 0.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.28, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.46. Unum Group has a 12-month low of $48.38 and a 12-month high of $84.48.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.14 by ($0.11). Unum Group had a return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 13.81%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 25th will be paid a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 25th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.14%. Unum Group's payout ratio is presently 17.74%.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.99, for a total value of $4,099,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 980,637 shares of the company's stock, valued at $80,402,427.63. The trade was a 4.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of Unum Group 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 31,284 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,588,751. This represents a 18.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.93% of the company's stock.

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.