AIA Group Ltd Has $733,000 Stock Position in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

AIA Group Ltd trimmed its position in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) by 45.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 10,042 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 8,462 shares during the period. AIA Group Ltd's holdings in Unum Group were worth $733,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNM. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in Unum Group by 50.0% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 469,342 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,554,000 after acquiring an additional 156,380 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in shares of Unum Group by 44.1% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 16,495 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,205,000 after purchasing an additional 5,047 shares in the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unum Group in the third quarter worth approximately $1,074,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Unum Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $8,816,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Unum Group by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,552,252 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $405,481,000 after purchasing an additional 51,744 shares in the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.99, for a total value of $4,099,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 980,637 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $80,402,427.63. This represents a 4.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of the business's 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,284 shares in the company, valued at $2,588,751. This trade represents a 18.28 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.93% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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Unum Group Stock Performance

UNM stock traded down $3.69 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $79.22. 3,549,458 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,263,729. Unum Group has a twelve month low of $48.38 and a twelve month high of $84.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.74. 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 business has a 50 day simple moving average of $78.20 and a 200-day simple moving average of $71.90.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) last posted 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 net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 14.91%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Unum Group will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Unum Group announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase 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 purchase up to 7.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th were paid a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.12%. Unum Group's payout ratio is presently 17.74%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on UNM shares. Raymond James raised shares of Unum Group from a "market perform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $108.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Unum Group from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Unum Group from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on Unum Group from $90.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Unum Group from $81.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $87.86.

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.