Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Stake Decreased by Donald Smith & CO. Inc.

Donald Smith & CO. Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) by 15.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,471,417 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 449,593 shares during the period. Unum Group comprises 4.3% of Donald Smith & CO. Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. owned approximately 1.35% of Unum Group worth $180,488,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barrett & Company Inc. increased its stake 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 purchasing an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Unum Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new position in Unum Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in 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 buying an additional 160 shares during the period. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. boosted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 179 shares during the period. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on UNM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Unum Group from $81.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Unum Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price 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. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $75.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Unum Group from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Five equities research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, Unum Group has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $87.86.

Insider Activity at Unum Group

In other Unum Group news, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.75, for a total transaction of $579,250.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,284 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,588,751. This trade represents a 18.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 approximately $80,402,427.63. This represents a 4.85 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.93% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Unum Group Price Performance

Unum Group stock traded up $1.11 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $71.86. The stock had a trading volume of 657,861 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,504,830. Unum Group has a 1-year low of $48.38 and a 1-year high of $84.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.58, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.46. The stock's fifty day moving average is $78.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $72.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.29 and a quick ratio of 0.28.

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 for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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, analysts predict that Unum Group will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th were given a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.34%. Unum Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 17.74%.

Unum Group announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Tuesday, February 18th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to buy up to 7.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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.