First Trust Advisors LP Raises Stock Holdings in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) by 15.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,708,452 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 227,644 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned about 0.94% of Unum Group worth $124,768,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Barrett & Company Inc. increased its position in shares of Unum Group by 300.0% in the 4th quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 396 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Unum Group in the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new stake in Unum Group during the 4th quarter worth about $45,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in shares of Unum Group by 26.4% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 766 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. raised its position in shares of Unum Group by 28.8% during the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 800 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Unum Group

In other news, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.75, for a total value of $579,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 31,284 shares in the company, valued at $2,588,751. This trade represents a 18.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.99, for a total value of $4,099,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 980,637 shares of the company's stock, valued at $80,402,427.63. This trade represents a 4.85 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.93% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Unum Group Price Performance

NYSE:UNM traded down $0.77 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $78.57. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,111,930 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,307,291. The company has a market capitalization of $13.85 billion, a PE ratio of 8.30, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.46. Unum Group has a 52-week low of $48.38 and a 52-week high of $84.48. The business's 50-day moving average is $78.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $73.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.29.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.14 by ($0.11). Unum Group had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 14.91%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, February 18th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the financial services provider to purchase up to 7.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 16th. Investors of record on Friday, April 25th will be issued a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 25th. Unum Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 17.74%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on shares of Unum Group from $87.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on Unum Group from $103.00 to $102.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. StockNews.com downgraded Unum Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on Unum Group from $75.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Five research 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $88.36.

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.