GAMMA Investing LLC Increases Stock Position in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) by 9,017.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 719,618 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 711,725 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC owned approximately 0.41% of Unum Group worth $58,620,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of UNM. Barrett & Company Inc. grew its position in Unum Group by 300.0% during the fourth quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 396 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Unum Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new position in Unum Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. bought a new position in Unum Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $58,000. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its position in Unum Group by 36.5% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 958 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $70,000 after acquiring an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Unum Group Trading Up 1.2%

UNM stock traded up $0.97 on Friday, reaching $80.98. The company's stock had a trading volume of 176,124 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,311,184. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $78.59 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $76.89. Unum Group has a 12-month low of $48.38 and a 12-month high of $84.48. The firm has a market cap of $14.12 billion, a PE ratio of 8.55, 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.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 14.91% and a net margin of 13.81%. The business had revenue of $3.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.34 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.12 EPS. The business's revenue was down 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 16th. Investors of record on Friday, April 25th were paid a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.07%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 25th. Unum Group's payout ratio is 19.79%.

Unum Group declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, February 18th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to reacquire up to 7.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on UNM shares. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Unum Group from $76.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on Unum Group from $103.00 to $102.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Unum Group from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Unum Group from $95.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, UBS Group set a $89.00 price objective on Unum Group and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Unum Group has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $88.29.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Unum Group news, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 51,170 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,093,600. This trade represents a 16.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.92% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.