Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd Acquires Shares of 11,402 Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new position in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 11,402 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $833,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake 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 worth $29,554,000 after purchasing an additional 156,380 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Unum Group by 44.1% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 16,495 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,205,000 after acquiring an additional 5,047 shares during the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unum Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,074,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management purchased a new position in Unum Group during the 4th quarter valued at $8,816,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Unum Group by 0.9% in the 4th 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. 86.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unum Group Stock Down 10.2 %

NYSE:UNM opened at $71.14 on Monday. 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 capitalization of $12.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.74. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $78.19 and its 200-day simple moving average is $72.28. Unum Group has a fifty-two week low of $48.38 and a fifty-two week high of $84.48.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share (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%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Unum Group will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th were paid a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.36%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.74%.

Unum Group announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Tuesday, February 18th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to reacquire up to 7.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNM has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $90.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Unum Group from $75.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Unum Group from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Unum Group from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Raymond James raised Unum Group from a “market perform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $108.00 target price for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Unum Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $87.86.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Unum Group 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 value of $4,099,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 980,637 shares of the company’s stock, 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 SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.75, for a total transaction of $579,250.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 31,284 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,588,751. The trade was a 18.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

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.