Ibex Wealth Advisors Buys 79,594 Shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Ibex Wealth Advisors raised its stake in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) by 157.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 130,296 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 79,594 shares during the period. Unum Group accounts for approximately 1.1% of Ibex Wealth Advisors' holdings, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Ibex Wealth Advisors owned 0.07% of Unum Group worth $9,515,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in UNM. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of Unum Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new position in Unum Group in the third quarter worth approximately $37,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its stake in Unum Group by 38.2% in the third quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 702 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 194 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in Unum Group by 26.4% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 766 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP grew its stake in Unum Group by 4,794.7% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 930 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 911 shares in the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Unum Group

In other news, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 58,865 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.39, for a total value of $4,437,832.35. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,007,003 shares of the company's stock, valued at $75,917,956.17. This represents a 5.52 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Timothy Gerald Arnold sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.92, for a total value of $769,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 54,827 shares in the company, valued at $4,217,292.84. This represents a 15.43 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 102,914 shares of company stock valued at $7,677,945. Corporate insiders own 0.93% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNM has been the topic of several recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on Unum Group in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $91.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $79.00 target price (up from $74.00) on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Truist Financial upped their target price on Unum Group from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Bank of America upped their target price on Unum Group from $54.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Unum Group from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Unum Group presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $76.75.

Unum Group Stock Down 0.3 %

NYSE:UNM traded down $0.23 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $77.07. The stock had a trading volume of 750,039 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,029,891. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.28 and a quick ratio of 0.28. The company has a market capitalization of $14.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.81. Unum Group has a 1-year low of $46.39 and a 1-year high of $77.69. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $74.22 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $64.36.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.03. Unum Group had a return on equity of 15.21% and a net margin of 13.76%. The company had revenue of $3.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.26 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.94 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Unum Group will post 8.54 EPS for the current year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors 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 dividend yield of 2.18%. Unum Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 18.18%.

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.