Russell Investments Group Ltd. Raises Position in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) by 72.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 226,051 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 94,639 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned approximately 0.12% of Unum Group worth $10,223,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. increased its position in shares of Unum Group by 583.3% in the 3rd quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 1,025,000 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $50,420,000 after buying an additional 875,000 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its position in shares of Unum Group by 79.8% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,952,763 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $88,616,000 after purchasing an additional 866,531 shares during the period. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 2,441.3% during the 3rd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 540,082 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $26,567,000 after purchasing an additional 518,830 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 9.7% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 3,545,767 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $174,416,000 after purchasing an additional 313,482 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kettle Hill Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Unum Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $13,061,000. 86.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Unum Group Stock Performance

UNM stock traded up $0.55 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $52.17. The stock had a trading volume of 892,798 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,398,961. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $51.55 and a 200 day simple moving average of $47.67. Unum Group has a fifty-two week low of $41.75 and a fifty-two week high of $54.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.88 billion, a PE ratio of 7.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.28 and a quick ratio of 0.28.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.12 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.97 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $3.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.20 billion. Unum Group had a return on equity of 16.02% and a net margin of 10.52%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.87 EPS. Analysts predict that Unum Group will post 8.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 26th will be given a $0.365 dividend. This represents a $1.46 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 25th. Unum Group's payout ratio is 21.69%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on UNM shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Unum Group from $64.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Unum Group from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. StockNews.com raised Unum Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Truist Financial lifted their target price on Unum Group from $57.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Unum Group from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Unum Group presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $57.38.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 5,000 shares of the business's 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 owns 55,450 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,772,500. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 5,000 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 $2,772,500. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.15, for a total value of $2,457,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,076,753 shares in the company, valued at approximately $52,922,409.95. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 81,000 shares of company stock worth $4,018,100 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.93% of the company's stock.

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.