Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) by 6.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 103,473 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 7,554 shares during the quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.06% of Unum Group worth $7,557,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in UNM. Citigroup Inc. increased its holdings in Unum Group by 15.1% during the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 62,491 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,714,000 after buying an additional 8,186 shares during the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its stake in shares of Unum Group by 95.7% during the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 20,926 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,244,000 after purchasing an additional 10,235 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 75.6% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 116,033 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $6,897,000 after purchasing an additional 49,960 shares during the period. Townsquare Capital LLC lifted its stake in Unum Group by 12.5% in the third quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 12,136 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $721,000 after purchasing an additional 1,350 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors grew its holdings in Unum Group by 2.1% during the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 211,660 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $12,581,000 after purchasing an additional 4,349 shares during the period. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Unum Group Price Performance
Unum Group stock traded down $8.10 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $71.14. 2,657,599 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,273,453. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $78.19 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $72.06. Unum Group has a 52-week low of $48.38 and a 52-week high of $84.48. The company has a market cap of $12.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.51, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.29.
Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share 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%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current year.
Unum Group announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, February 18th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows 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 leadership believes its stock is undervalued.
Unum Group Dividend Announcement
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th were given a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.36%. Unum Group's payout ratio is 17.74%.
Insider Buying and Selling at Unum Group
In related news, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.99, for a total transaction of $4,099,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 980,637 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $80,402,427.63. This trade represents a 4.85 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.75, for a total value of $579,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,284 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,588,751. This represents a 18.28 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.93% of the company's stock.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of brokerages have recently commented on UNM. 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 research report on Wednesday. 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 report on Tuesday, December 10th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Unum Group from $81.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $87.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $87.86.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Unum Group
Unum Group Company Profile
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Free Report)
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.
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