22,025 Shares in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Acquired by Jump Financial LLC

Jump Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 22,025 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,608,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in UNM. Barrett & Company Inc. lifted its position in Unum Group by 300.0% in the fourth quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 396 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Unum Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new position in Unum Group during the 4th quarter worth about $45,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position 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 worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Unum Group by 28.8% in the fourth quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 800 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.57% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.75, for a total transaction of $579,250.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 31,284 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,588,751. This trade represents a 18.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 directly 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.93% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on UNM shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Unum Group from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. UBS Group increased their target price on Unum Group from $75.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Raymond James raised Unum Group from a "market perform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $108.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Unum Group from $81.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Unum Group has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $88.36.

Unum Group Stock Performance

NYSE:UNM traded up $1.43 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $78.74. The stock had a trading volume of 1,437,082 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,302,450. Unum Group has a 12-month low of $48.38 and a 12-month high of $84.67. The stock has a market cap of $13.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $77.87 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $73.70.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.14 by ($0.11). Unum Group had a return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 13.81%. On average, equities analysts expect that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current year.

Unum Group announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, February 18th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the financial services provider to repurchase up to 7.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 16th. Investors of record on Friday, April 25th will be given a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 25th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.13%. Unum Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 17.74%.

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.