Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC Invests $454,000 in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Key Points

• Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC acquired a new stake in Unum Group, purchasing 5,576 shares valued at approximately $454,000 during the first quarter.
• Unum Group recently increased its quarterly dividend to $0.46 per share, up from $0.42, with a dividend yield of 2.7% based on an annualized payout.
• Analysts have set a target price range for Unum Group, with most estimates between $85.00 and $96.00, indicating a "Moderate Buy" consensus for the stock.

Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC purchased a new position in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 5,576 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $454,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of UNM. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in Unum Group in the first quarter worth about $35,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in Unum Group by 196.9% in the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 478 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 317 shares in the last quarter. Rossby Financial LCC acquired a new stake in Unum Group in the first quarter worth about $46,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Unum Group in the first quarter worth about $49,000. Finally, Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. boosted its holdings in Unum Group by 1,289.7% in the first quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 806 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $66,000 after acquiring an additional 748 shares in the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unum Group Stock Performance

NYSE:UNM traded up $0.66 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $71.00. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,133,415 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,765,361. Unum Group has a 1 year low of $52.71 and a 1 year high of $84.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.30 and a quick ratio of 0.30. The stock has a market cap of $12.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.49, a PEG ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 0.40. The business's fifty day moving average is $77.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $78.20.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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). Unum Group had a net margin of 11.77% and a return on equity of 13.44%. The business had revenue of $3.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.35 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.16 earnings per share. Unum Group's revenue for the quarter was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 25th. This is a positive change from Unum Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. Unum Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 22.01%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNM has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Unum Group from $105.00 to $100.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $87.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $83.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $100.00 to $96.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, UBS Group set a $87.00 price objective on shares of Unum Group and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $91.62.

About Unum Group

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.