Wedge Capital Management L L P NC Cuts Position in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Wedge Capital Management L L P NC lowered its position in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 19.1% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 597,138 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 140,902 shares during the period. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $43,609,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNM. Boston Common Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 19.6% in the 4th quarter. Boston Common Asset Management LLC now owns 69,278 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,059,000 after purchasing an additional 11,373 shares in the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management lifted its holdings in Unum Group by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 34,177 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,496,000 after buying an additional 637 shares during the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. boosted its position in shares of Unum Group by 28.8% during the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 800 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. Oak Thistle LLC increased its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 362.9% in the 4th quarter. Oak Thistle LLC now owns 19,461 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,421,000 after acquiring an additional 15,257 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Friedenthal Financial acquired a new stake in shares of Unum Group during the 4th quarter worth about $796,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of UNM stock opened at $75.02 on Friday. Unum Group has a twelve month low of $45.23 and a twelve month high of $77.63. 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 business’s 50 day moving average is $73.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $62.81. The company has a market capitalization of $13.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.81.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last announced 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. Unum Group had a net margin of 13.76% and a return on equity of 15.21%. The company had revenue of $3.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.26 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.94 EPS. Unum Group’s revenue was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 8.54 EPS for the current year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th will be given 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 2.24%. Unum Group’s payout ratio is currently 18.18%.

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 on 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 50,762 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,554,355.24. This represents a 6.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Walter Lynn Rice, Jr. sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.56, for a total transaction of $104,340.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 8,361 shares in the company, valued at $581,591.16. The trade was a 15.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 107,914 shares of company stock valued at $7,998,745. 0.93% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNM has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Unum Group from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Unum Group from $74.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $54.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Evercore ISI upgraded Unum Group from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $67.00 to $84.00 in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, UBS Group raised 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 given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Unum Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $75.45.

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.