Naples Global Advisors LLC Boosts Holdings in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Naples Global Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 0.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 36,075 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 203 shares during the period. Naples Global Advisors LLC’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $2,635,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Barrett & Company Inc. lifted its stake in Unum Group by 300.0% in the fourth quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 396 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in shares of Unum Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Unum Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $37,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Unum Group by 38.2% during the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 702 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 194 shares during the period. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in Unum Group by 26.4% in the 4th 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 last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of Unum Group from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Unum Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $74.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price target on Unum Group from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $80.33.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 58,865 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.39, for a total transaction of $4,437,832.35. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,007,003 shares in the company, valued at $75,917,956.17. This trade represents a 5.52 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.61, for a total value of $363,050.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 35,840 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,602,342.40. The trade was a 12.24 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 83,865 shares of company stock valued at $6,315,082 over the last quarter. 0.93% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Unum Group Stock Performance

Shares of UNM opened at $75.18 on Thursday. Unum Group has a 12-month low of $47.65 and a 12-month high of $79.43. 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 has a market cap of $13.73 billion, a PE ratio of 7.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.80. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $74.21 and a 200-day moving average price of $65.87.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last announced its 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 net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 14.91%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 9.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th will be paid a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.23%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 17.74%.

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.