Hsbc Holdings PLC Trims Stake in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Hsbc Holdings PLC cut its stake in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) by 7.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 111,200 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 9,064 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned 0.06% of Unum Group worth $8,146,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in UNM. Barrett & Company Inc. grew its stake in shares of Unum Group by 300.0% in the fourth quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 396 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 297 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unum Group during the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Unum Group during the 4th quarter worth $45,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in shares of Unum Group by 26.4% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 766 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Unum Group during the third quarter worth about $58,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.57% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on UNM. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target 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. Raymond James raised shares of Unum Group from a "market perform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $108.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. StockNews.com cut shares of Unum Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Unum Group from $81.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on Unum Group from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Unum Group presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $88.50.

Unum Group Stock Performance

NYSE:UNM traded up $2.24 during trading on Friday, reaching $79.67. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,013,587 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,305,694. Unum Group has a 12 month low of $48.38 and a 12 month high of $84.48. The firm has a market cap of $14.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.46. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $78.35 and a 200-day moving average of $74.39. 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 released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.19 by ($0.15). Unum Group had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 14.91%. The company had revenue of $3.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.34 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.12 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 25th will be issued a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 25th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.11%. Unum Group's payout ratio is currently 17.74%.

Unum Group declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, February 18th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to purchase up to 7.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

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

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.