GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC Sells 5,836 Shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC lowered its position in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 50.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,817 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 5,836 shares during the quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $425,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 1.0% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,500,508 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $326,950,000 after buying an additional 55,014 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Unum Group by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,186,262 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $70,511,000 after purchasing an additional 66,392 shares during the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. boosted its stake in Unum Group by 151.7% in 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. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in shares of Unum Group by 24.5% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 325,796 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $19,365,000 after buying an additional 64,062 shares in the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Unum Group Price Performance

Unum Group stock opened at $76.25 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.25, a PEG ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 0.80. The business has a 50-day moving average of $74.23 and a 200-day moving average of $64.68. Unum Group has a 1 year low of $46.39 and a 1 year high of $77.69.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be paid a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.20%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 24th. Unum Group’s payout ratio is presently 18.18%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNM has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of Unum Group in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $91.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Unum Group from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $79.00 target price (up from $74.00) on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped 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. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Unum Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $79.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Unum Group

In other Unum Group news, EVP Christopher W. Pyne sold 3,250 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.02, for a total value of $227,565.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 50,762 shares in the company, valued at $3,554,355.24. This represents a 6.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Walter Lynn Rice, Jr. sold 1,500 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.56, for a total value of $104,340.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 8,361 shares in the company, valued at $581,591.16. This trade represents a 15.21 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 102,914 shares of company stock valued at $7,677,945. 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.