Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Stock Holdings Increased by Moran Wealth Management LLC

Moran Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 25.9% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 16,259 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,349 shares during the quarter. Moran Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $1,187,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barrett & Company Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Unum Group by 300.0% during the 4th quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 396 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 297 shares in the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Unum Group during the third quarter valued at $31,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Unum Group in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Quarry LP increased its stake in Unum Group by 4,794.7% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 930 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 911 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in Unum Group by 26.4% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 766 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Unum Group from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Morgan Stanley raised 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 note on Friday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $79.00 target price (up from $74.00) on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Barclays increased their target price on Unum Group from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Unum Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. 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. According to data from MarketBeat, Unum Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.62.

Unum Group Stock Up 1.8 %

Unum Group stock opened at $78.69 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Unum Group has a 1-year low of $48.38 and a 1-year high of $83.96. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $75.67 and its 200-day simple moving average is $68.89. The company has a market capitalization of $13.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.74.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last posted 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%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th were given a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.14%. Unum Group’s payout ratio is currently 17.74%.

Unum Group announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, February 18th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to reacquire up to 7.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Unum Group

In other Unum Group news, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the business’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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 980,637 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $80,402,427.63. The trade was a 4.85 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,284 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,588,751. This represents 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.