Dorsey Wright & Associates Takes Position in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Dorsey Wright & Associates purchased a new stake in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 24,495 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,995,000.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Unum Group by 8.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,497,586 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,496,939,000 after acquiring an additional 1,596,078 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Unum Group during the 4th quarter worth $1,003,918,000. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in Unum Group by 33.2% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,930,349 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $140,973,000 after acquiring an additional 480,926 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Unum Group by 15.4% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,708,452 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $124,768,000 after purchasing an additional 227,644 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 13.1% during the first quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,654,489 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $134,775,000 after purchasing an additional 191,572 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.57% of the company's stock.

Unum Group Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of Unum Group stock traded down $0.76 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $79.98. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,071,500 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,133,597. Unum Group has a 1-year low of $51.80 and a 1-year high of $84.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.42, a PEG ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 0.41. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $80.35 and a 200-day simple moving average of $78.30.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.19 by ($0.15). Unum Group had a return on equity of 14.17% and a net margin of 12.31%. The business had revenue of $3.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.34 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.12 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Unum Group will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Unum Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Friday, July 25th will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 25th. This is an increase from Unum Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.30%. Unum Group's payout ratio is presently 19.79%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Unum Group news, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total value of $800,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 51,170 shares in the company, valued at $4,093,600. This represents a 16.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.92% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $87.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Unum Group from $88.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 3rd. UBS Group set a $89.00 price objective on shares of Unum Group and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Unum Group from $97.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Unum Group from $83.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $91.77.

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.