iSAM Funds UK Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 3,404 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $249,000.
Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Barrett & Company Inc. lifted its stake in Unum Group by 300.0% during the 4th 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 period. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Unum Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new position in Unum Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $45,000. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. bought a new position in Unum Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $58,000. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its stake in Unum Group by 36.5% during the 4th 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 period. Institutional investors own 86.57% of the company's stock.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Unum Group from $81.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced 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 report on Wednesday, April 9th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Unum Group from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Morgan Stanley upped 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Unum Group from $95.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $88.43.
Get Our Latest Research Report on Unum Group
Unum Group Trading Down 0.2%
UNM stock opened at $81.99 on Wednesday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $14.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.66, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.38. Unum Group has a 1-year low of $48.38 and a 1-year high of $84.48. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $78.75 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $76.03.
Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) last posted its 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). The firm 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 firm's revenue was down 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.12 earnings per share. 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 was paid on Friday, May 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 25th were given a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 25th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.05%. Unum Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 19.79%.
Unum Group announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, February 18th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to buy up to 7.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.
Insider Activity
In other Unum Group news, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total value of $800,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 51,170 shares in the company, valued at $4,093,600. This trade represents a 16.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.75, for a total value of $579,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 31,284 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,588,751. The trade was a 18.28% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 67,000 shares of company stock worth $5,478,750. 0.92% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
Unum Group Profile
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Free Report)
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.
Further Reading
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