Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC Grows Stake in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 49.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,491 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,131 shares during the quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $693,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Unum Group by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,552,252 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $405,481,000 after purchasing an additional 51,744 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 276,655 shares in the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its position in shares of Unum Group by 44.9% during the fourth quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 1,264,994 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $92,383,000 after purchasing an additional 392,191 shares in the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Unum Group by 151.7% during the third quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 509,702 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $30,297,000 after purchasing an additional 307,175 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in shares of Unum Group by 50.0% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 469,342 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,554,000 after purchasing an additional 156,380 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of UNM opened at $79.05 on Monday. Unum Group has a twelve month low of $48.38 and a twelve month high of $83.96. The company has a market cap of $13.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a current ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $75.59 and its 200-day simple moving average is $68.62.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share 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%. As a group, analysts expect that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th were paid a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.13%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 17.74%.

Unum Group declared that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, February 18th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to buy up to 7.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Evercore ISI upgraded Unum Group from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $67.00 to $84.00 in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Unum Group from $90.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Unum Group from $81.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Unum Group from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Unum Group from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Five 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.62.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.75, for a total value of $579,250.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 31,284 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,588,751. This trade represents a 18.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.99, for a total transaction of $4,099,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 980,637 shares in the company, valued at $80,402,427.63. This represents a 4.85 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.93% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.