2,900 Shares in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Acquired by Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P.

Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 2,900 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $212,000.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Unum Group by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,552,252 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $405,481,000 after acquiring an additional 51,744 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 23.3% in the 4th 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 during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 44.9% during the 4th 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 during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its position in Unum Group by 151.7% during the 3rd 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. raised its holdings in Unum Group by 50.0% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 469,342 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,554,000 after buying an additional 156,380 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNM has been the subject of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. 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 report on Friday, February 28th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Unum Group from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Barclays increased their target price on Unum Group from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Unum Group from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $86.62.

Unum Group Trading Up 0.6 %

UNM opened at $81.54 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.41 billion, a PE ratio of 8.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.29 and a quick ratio of 0.28. Unum Group has a 12-month low of $48.38 and a 12-month high of $83.96. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $76.93 and its 200 day moving average price is $70.36.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 13.81%. As a group, research analysts expect that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th were issued a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.06%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.74%.

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

Insider Activity at Unum Group

In related news, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of the business’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 owns 31,284 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,588,751. This represents a 18.28 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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. Corporate 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.