Burns Matteson Capital Management LLC Makes New Investment in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Burns Matteson Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 6,165 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $502,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in Unum Group by 4.0% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,558 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $290,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Unum Group by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 6,536 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $478,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Unum Group by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 18,211 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,330,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA raised its stake in shares of Unum Group by 7.3% during the first quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 2,757 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $225,000 after acquiring an additional 187 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Belpointe Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Unum Group by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 9,151 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $668,000 after acquiring an additional 189 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.57% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on UNM. UBS Group set a $89.00 price target on shares of Unum Group and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Barclays set a $96.00 price target on shares of Unum Group and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $83.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $87.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced 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. Five 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $90.14.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Unum Group news, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 51,170 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,093,600. This represents a 16.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.92% of the company's stock.

Unum Group Stock Performance

Shares of UNM traded up $0.08 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $81.09. 739,647 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,328,852. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. Unum Group has a 12-month low of $51.80 and a 12-month high of $84.48. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $80.35 and a 200-day moving average price of $78.09.

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

Unum Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 25th will be issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.27%. This is a positive change from Unum Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 25th. Unum Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 19.79%.

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.