Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. Sells 3,321 Shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. decreased its position in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) by 17.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,578 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 3,321 shares during the period. Unum Group comprises 0.7% of Lifestyle Asset Management Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Unum Group were worth $1,269,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Unum Group during the 4th quarter worth $1,003,918,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Unum Group by 8.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,497,586 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,496,939,000 after buying an additional 1,596,078 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in Unum Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $113,962,000. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI purchased a new position in Unum Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $105,199,000. Finally, Freestone Grove Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of Unum Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $65,096,000. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unum Group Trading Up 2.0%

NYSE:UNM traded up $1.62 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $81.63. 757,948 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,313,451. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $78.59 and a 200 day simple moving average of $76.89. Unum Group has a one year low of $48.38 and a one year high of $84.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a current ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.19 by ($0.15). The company had revenue of $3.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.34 billion. Unum Group had a return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 13.81%. The firm's revenue was down 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.12 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 16th. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.06%. Unum Group's payout ratio is currently 19.79%.

Unum Group declared that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Tuesday, February 18th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the financial services provider to reacquire up to 7.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Unum Group from $81.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. 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 report on Monday, May 19th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Wall Street Zen cut Unum Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, UBS Group set a $89.00 price target on Unum Group and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $88.29.

Insider Buying and Selling at Unum Group

In other Unum Group news, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total value 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 $4,093,600. The trade was a 16.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.92% of the company's stock.

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.