Financial Counselors Inc. Takes Position in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Financial Counselors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 3,285 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $240,000.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNM. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings 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 valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the period. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. boosted its stake in Unum Group by 28.8% during the 4th 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. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Unum Group by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 13,336 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $974,000 after purchasing an additional 189 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Unum Group by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 35,169 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,568,000 after purchasing an additional 202 shares during the period. Finally, Naples Global Advisors LLC raised its stake in Unum Group by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Naples Global Advisors LLC now owns 36,075 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,635,000 after acquiring an additional 203 shares in the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Unum Group news, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.75, for a total transaction of $579,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 31,284 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,588,751. The trade was a 18.28 % decrease in their position. 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 firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $80,402,427.63. This represents a 4.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.93% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNM has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Unum Group from $75.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Unum Group from $81.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Raymond James upgraded Unum Group from a "market perform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $108.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on Unum Group from $87.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Unum Group from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report 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 given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Unum Group presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $87.86.

Unum Group Stock Down 4.6 %

Shares of NYSE UNM traded down $3.79 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $79.12. The stock had a trading volume of 235,456 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,250,790. The company has a market capitalization of $13.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.74. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $78.20 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $71.90. 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 has a 52 week low of $48.38 and a 52 week high of $84.48.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.14 by ($0.11). Unum Group had a return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 13.81%. Analysts anticipate that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th were issued a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.12%. Unum Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.