Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Shares Sold by Assenagon Asset Management S.A.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lowered its holdings in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) by 3.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 314,548 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 11,248 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned 0.17% of Unum Group worth $22,971,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Artemis Investment Management LLP raised its holdings in Unum Group by 11.9% in the 3rd quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 232,751 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $13,835,000 after purchasing an additional 24,664 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Unum Group by 1.0% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,500,508 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $326,950,000 after buying an additional 55,014 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of Unum Group by 50.0% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 469,342 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $29,554,000 after buying an additional 156,380 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its stake in shares of Unum Group by 89.5% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 111,831 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $6,647,000 after acquiring an additional 52,813 shares during the period. Finally, Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Unum Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,074,000. Institutional investors own 86.57% of the company's stock.

Unum Group Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of UNM stock traded up $0.72 during trading on Friday, hitting $75.02. 911,396 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,149,464. The firm 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. 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 52-week low of $45.23 and a 52-week high of $77.63. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $73.60 and its 200-day moving average price is $62.81.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) last posted 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 firm had revenue of $3.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.26 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.94 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 8.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.18%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Unum Group

In other news, CAO Walter Lynn Rice, Jr. sold 1,500 shares of Unum Group 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 8,361 shares in the company, valued at approximately $581,591.16. The trade was a 15.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.16, for a total value of $320,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 58,741 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,768,822.56. The trade was a 7.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 107,914 shares of company stock valued at $7,998,745 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.93% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on UNM. Bank of America lifted their target price on Unum Group from $54.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $79.00 price target (up from $74.00) on shares of Unum Group in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. UBS Group raised shares of Unum Group to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Evercore ISI upgraded Unum Group from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $67.00 to $84.00 in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Unum Group from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Unum Group presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $75.45.

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.