Boston Common Asset Management LLC Acquires 37,877 Shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Boston Common Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) by 54.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 107,155 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 37,877 shares during the quarter. Boston Common Asset Management LLC owned about 0.06% of Unum Group worth $8,729,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake 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 worth $1,496,939,000 after purchasing an additional 1,596,078 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Unum Group in the 4th quarter worth about $1,003,918,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Unum Group by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,552,252 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $405,481,000 after purchasing an additional 51,744 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in Unum Group by 33.2% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,930,349 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $140,973,000 after purchasing an additional 480,926 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in Unum Group by 15.4% in the 4th 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.57% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Unum Group

In other Unum Group news, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.75, for a total transaction of $579,250.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,284 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,588,751. The trade was a 18.28% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total transaction of $800,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 51,170 shares in the company, valued at $4,093,600. The trade was a 16.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 67,000 shares of company stock valued at $5,478,750. 0.93% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Unum Group Price Performance

Shares of Unum Group stock traded up $0.35 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $81.73. 1,073,295 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,317,785. The stock has a market cap of $14.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.63, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.29. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $78.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $76.65. 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 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). The company had revenue of $3.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.34 billion. Unum Group had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 14.91%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.12 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Unum Group announced that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, February 18th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to purchase up to 7.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 16th. Investors of record on Friday, April 25th were issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.06%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 25th. Unum Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.79%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on UNM shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $76.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $95.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective 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. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $87.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Unum Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Five 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Unum Group presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $88.29.

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.