Barclays PLC Raises Position in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Barclays PLC raised its holdings in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) by 97.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 498,638 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 246,519 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC owned approximately 0.27% of Unum Group worth $36,415,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

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

Insider Activity at Unum Group

In related news, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 owns 980,637 shares in the company, valued at approximately $80,402,427.63. This trade represents a 4.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,284 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,588,751. The trade was a 18.28 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.93% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on UNM. StockNews.com cut Unum Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Unum Group from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Unum Group from $75.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price 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. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target 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. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $88.36.

Unum Group Stock Performance

NYSE UNM traded up $1.52 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $78.83. The stock had a trading volume of 194,036 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,297,561. Unum Group has a 52-week low of $48.38 and a 52-week high of $84.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.29. The stock has a market cap of $13.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.46. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $77.78 and a 200 day moving average of $73.67.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.14 by ($0.11). Unum Group had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 14.91%. Sell-side analysts predict that Unum Group will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Unum Group declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Tuesday, February 18th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to repurchase up to 7.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 25th will be paid a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 25th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.13%. Unum Group's payout ratio is 17.74%.

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.