Natixis Advisors LLC Acquires 6,290 Shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Key Points

• Natixis Advisors LLC has increased its stake in Unum Group by 21.0%, owning 36,247 shares valued at approximately $2.95 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• Unum Group declared a quarterly dividend of $0.46 per share, up from the previous $0.42, with a dividend yield of 2.6% for shareholders of record.
• Analysts are divided on Unum Group's stock ratings, with five hold ratings, eight buy ratings, and one strong buy, alongside an average target price of $91.62.

Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) by 21.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 36,247 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 6,290 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC's holdings in Unum Group were worth $2,953,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Carl P. Sherr & Co. LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Unum Group in the first quarter valued at $209,000. Vestcor Inc increased its stake in shares of Unum Group by 30.7% in the first quarter. Vestcor Inc now owns 120,611 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $9,825,000 after buying an additional 28,297 shares in the last quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd increased its stake in shares of Unum Group by 101.1% in the first quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 26,517 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,049,000 after buying an additional 13,332 shares in the last quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Unum Group in the first quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Picton Mahoney Asset Management increased its stake in shares of Unum Group by 125.6% in the first quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 272,403 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $22,190,000 after buying an additional 151,670 shares in the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unum Group Trading Up 1.2%

UNM traded up $0.85 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $69.40. 1,637,427 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,714,613. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a current ratio of 0.30. Unum Group has a one year low of $52.65 and a one year high of $84.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.30, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.40. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $78.57 and its 200 day simple moving average is $78.32.

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

Unum Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. This is an increase from Unum Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 25th. Unum Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.01%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Unum Group from $83.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. UBS Group set a $87.00 target price on Unum Group and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $95.00 target price (down from $100.00) on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Barclays set a $96.00 target price on Unum Group and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Unum Group from $87.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Unum Group has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target 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.