Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. Boosts Holdings in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) by 499.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 44,384 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 36,984 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc.'s holdings in Unum Group were worth $2,007,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC grew its position in Unum Group by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC now owns 5,938 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $297,000 after acquiring an additional 223 shares during the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC boosted its position in Unum Group by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 8,004 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $362,000 after buying an additional 230 shares during the last quarter. United Services Automobile Association boosted its position in Unum Group by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. United Services Automobile Association now owns 12,530 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $616,000 after buying an additional 239 shares during the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its position in Unum Group by 12.0% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 2,385 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $108,000 after buying an additional 255 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Savant Capital LLC boosted its position in Unum Group by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 7,927 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $390,000 after buying an additional 266 shares during the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on UNM. StockNews.com upgraded Unum Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Unum Group from $47.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Unum Group from $64.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Unum Group from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Unum Group from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $56.38.

Unum Group Trading Down 1.2 %

Unum Group stock traded down $0.63 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $51.34. 661,776 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,395,108. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.91, a PEG ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.87. Unum Group has a fifty-two week low of $40.04 and a fifty-two week high of $54.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $51.24 and its 200-day simple moving average is $47.66.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.79 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.86 by ($0.07). The business had revenue of $3.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.14 billion. Unum Group had a return on equity of 16.03% and a net margin of 10.36%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.43 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Unum Group will post 8.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 26th will be paid a $0.365 dividend. This represents a $1.46 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.84%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 25th. Unum Group's dividend payout ratio is 22.50%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Unum Group

In other Unum Group news, CFO Steven Andrew Zabel sold 10,000 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.06, for a total value of $510,600.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 122,246 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,241,880.76. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Unum Group news, CFO Steven Andrew Zabel sold 10,000 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.06, for a total value of $510,600.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 122,246 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,241,880.76. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 5,000 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $250,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 55,450 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,772,500. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 81,000 shares of company stock valued at $4,018,100 in the last 90 days. 0.93% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.