Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) CAO Walter Lynn Rice, Jr. Sells 1,500 Shares

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) CAO Walter Lynn Rice, Jr. sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.56, for a total transaction of $104,340.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 8,361 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $581,591.16. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Unum Group Price Performance

NYSE UNM opened at $69.42 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.68 billion, a PE ratio of 7.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.76. Unum Group has a 12-month low of $41.86 and a 12-month high of $70.40. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $60.26 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $55.21.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $3.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.26 billion. Unum Group had a net margin of 13.76% and a return on equity of 15.21%. Unum Group’s quarterly revenue was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.94 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Unum Group will post 8.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Tuesday, July 30th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the financial services provider to buy up to 10% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 25th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.42%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.18%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in UNM. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its position in shares of Unum Group by 3.4% during the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 5,551 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $330,000 after buying an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its position in Unum Group by 38.2% during the third quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 702 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 194 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. increased its stake in Unum Group by 2.2% during the second quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 10,126 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $518,000 after acquiring an additional 217 shares during the period. Caprock Group LLC raised its holdings in Unum Group by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 12,308 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $732,000 after acquiring an additional 221 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Unum Group by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 8,292 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $493,000 after acquiring an additional 224 shares during the period. 86.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $66.00 price objective (up previously from $64.00) on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on Unum Group from $59.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Unum Group from $69.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on Unum Group from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, UBS Group upgraded Unum Group to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $66.09.

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.