Marshall Wace LLP Boosts Stock Position in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Marshall Wace LLP raised its position in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) by 54.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 200,664 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 70,557 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP owned about 0.11% of Unum Group worth $14,654,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Unum Group in the 4th quarter worth about $1,003,918,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of 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 valued at $1,496,939,000 after buying an additional 1,596,078 shares in the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its stake in Unum Group by 44.9% in the 4th quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 1,264,994 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $92,383,000 after acquiring an additional 392,191 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System increased its holdings in Unum Group by 50.0% in the 4th quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 831,806 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $60,747,000 after acquiring an additional 277,401 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Unum Group by 23.3% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,462,917 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $106,837,000 after acquiring an additional 276,655 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.57% of the company's stock.

Unum Group Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:UNM traded down $0.77 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $78.57. 1,111,930 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,307,291. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $78.06 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $73.95. Unum Group has a fifty-two week low of $48.38 and a fifty-two week high of $84.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.29 and a quick ratio of 0.28. The stock has a market cap of $13.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.46.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) last released 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, sell-side analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, February 18th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to reacquire up to 7.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at Unum Group

In other Unum Group news, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of the company'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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,284 shares in the company, valued at $2,588,751. This represents a 18.28 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.93% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNM has been the subject of a number of research reports. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $75.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Unum Group from $81.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Unum Group from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Raymond James upgraded Unum Group from a "market perform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $108.00 price target for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $88.36.

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.