Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Acquires 4,859 Shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) by 13.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 39,826 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 4,859 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Unum Group were worth $2,909,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in UNM. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Unum Group by 8.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,497,586 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,496,939,000 after purchasing an additional 1,596,078 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Unum Group in the fourth quarter worth $1,003,918,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,552,252 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $405,481,000 after buying an additional 51,744 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in Unum Group by 33.2% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,930,349 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $140,973,000 after buying an additional 480,926 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in Unum Group by 15.4% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,708,452 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $124,768,000 after buying an additional 227,644 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.57% of the company's stock.

Unum Group Stock Up 2.0%

Shares of UNM traded up $1.62 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $81.63. 757,948 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,317,296. The stock has a market cap of $14.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.43. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $78.59 and a two-hundred day moving average of $77.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Unum Group has a twelve month low of $48.38 and a twelve month high of $84.48.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.19 by ($0.15). The business had revenue of $3.09 billion during 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 company's revenue for the quarter was down 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.12 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 25th were paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 25th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.06%. Unum Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.79%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 51,170 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,093,600. This represents a 16.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.92% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on UNM. UBS Group set a $89.00 price objective on Unum Group and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on shares of Unum Group from $103.00 to $102.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $81.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $76.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Unum Group currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $88.29.

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.