18,700 Shares in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Purchased by Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc.

Key Points

• Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc. has acquired a new position in Unum Group, purchasing 18,700 shares valued at approximately $1.53 million.
• Unum Group will increase its quarterly dividend from $0.42 to $0.46, representing a yield of 2.6% and reflecting an annualized dividend of $1.84.
• Currently, Unum Group has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" among analysts, with a target price of $91.62.

Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 18,700 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,533,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Unum Group in the fourth quarter valued at $247,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in Unum Group by 14.1% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 711,866 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $51,988,000 after purchasing an additional 88,142 shares in the last quarter. Blair William & Co. IL raised its position in Unum Group by 41.5% in the 4th quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 5,272 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $385,000 after purchasing an additional 1,546 shares in the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA boosted its stake in shares of Unum Group by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 25,280 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,846,000 after buying an additional 896 shares during the period. Finally, Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC increased its position in shares of Unum Group by 48.9% in the 4th quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 13,559 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $990,000 after purchasing an additional 4,450 shares during the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Unum Group

In other Unum Group news, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 10,000 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were 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 owned 51,170 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,093,600. The trade was a 16.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.93% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Unum Group Stock Performance

Shares of Unum Group stock traded up $0.27 on Monday, reaching $70.00. 1,659,634 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,444,180. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.92 billion, a PE ratio of 8.37, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.40. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $79.71 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $78.54. Unum Group has a 1-year low of $51.80 and a 1-year high of $84.48. The company has a current ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.07 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.23 by ($0.16). The company had revenue of $3.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.35 billion. Unum Group had a return on equity of 13.44% and a net margin of 11.77%. Unum Group's revenue for the quarter was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.16 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Unum Group will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Increases Dividend

The firm 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 $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 25th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. This is a boost from Unum Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. Unum Group's payout ratio is presently 22.01%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNM has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $83.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. Piper Sandler raised their price target on 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 $87.00 price objective on Unum Group and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of Unum Group from $100.00 to $96.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Barclays set a $96.00 price target on shares of Unum Group and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Unum Group has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $91.62.

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.