Signet Financial Management LLC Trims Stake in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Signet Financial Management LLC trimmed its stake in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 4.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,053 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 562 shares during the quarter. Signet Financial Management LLC’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $880,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in Unum Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Unum Group during the third quarter worth about $37,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its position in shares of Unum Group by 38.2% in the third quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 702 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 194 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in shares of Unum Group by 26.4% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 766 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the period. Finally, William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in Unum Group during the second quarter worth approximately $44,000. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Unum Group

In other Unum Group news, CAO Walter Lynn Rice, Jr. sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were 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 directly owns 8,361 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $581,591.16. This trade represents a 15.21 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Christopher W. Pyne sold 3,250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.02, for a total transaction of $227,565.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 50,762 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,554,355.24. This trade represents a 6.02 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 107,914 shares of company stock worth $7,998,745 in the last 90 days. 0.93% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Unum Group Stock Up 0.2 %

NYSE UNM traded up $0.16 on Monday, reaching $71.96. The company had a trading volume of 1,320,279 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,201,371. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.28 and a quick ratio of 0.28. Unum Group has a 1 year low of $44.83 and a 1 year high of $77.63. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $73.00 and a 200-day moving average of $62.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.14 billion, a PE ratio of 7.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.81.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.03. Unum Group had a net margin of 13.76% and a return on equity of 15.21%. The business had revenue of $3.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.26 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.94 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Unum Group will post 8.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th will be issued a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.33%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 24th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.18%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $79.00 price target (up previously from $74.00) on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Piper Sandler increased their target price on Unum Group from $74.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Bank of America lifted their price target on Unum Group from $54.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. 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 research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of Unum Group to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $74.55.

About Unum Group

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.