MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) by 7.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 94,944 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 6,367 shares during the quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC owned 0.05% of Unum Group worth $6,934,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNM. Barrett & Company Inc. increased 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 worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Unum Group in the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unum Group during the 4th quarter worth about $45,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings 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 valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. grew its stake in shares of Unum Group by 28.8% in the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 800 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $58,000 after buying an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.57% of the company's stock.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other news, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.99, for a total transaction of $4,099,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 980,637 shares in the company, valued at approximately $80,402,427.63. The trade was a 4.85 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at approximately $2,588,751. The trade was a 18.28 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.93% of the company's stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
UNM has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com cut shares of Unum Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective 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. UBS Group raised their target price on Unum Group from $75.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. 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 note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on Unum Group from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $88.36.
Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Unum Group
Unum Group Stock Performance
Unum Group stock traded up $0.37 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $78.84. The company had a trading volume of 207,727 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,304,130. The company has a 50 day moving average of $78.06 and a 200-day moving average of $74.12. Unum Group has a 52 week low of $48.38 and a 52 week high of $84.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market cap of $13.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.32, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.46.
Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.14 by ($0.11). Unum Group had a return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 13.81%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Unum Group announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, February 18th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the financial services provider to reacquire up to 7.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company's board of directors 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 given a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 25th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.13%. Unum Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.74%.
Unum Group Profile
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Free Report)
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.
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