Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Shares Purchased by Marshall Wace LLP

Marshall Wace LLP boosted its position in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) by 54.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 200,664 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 70,557 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP owned about 0.11% of Unum Group worth $14,654,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNM. Barrett & Company Inc. lifted its holdings in Unum Group by 300.0% during the 4th quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 396 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $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 during the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Unum Group during the fourth quarter worth $45,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in shares of Unum Group by 26.4% in 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. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of Unum Group in the third quarter valued at about $58,000. 86.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on UNM shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $103.00 to $102.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Unum Group from $75.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Unum Group from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Unum Group from $81.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Five 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, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $88.36.

Unum Group Stock Up 0.7 %

NYSE:UNM traded up $0.56 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $79.26. 1,195,849 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,305,490. The business's 50-day moving average price is $77.97 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $73.83. The company has a current ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. 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 $13.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.46.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. Analysts predict that Unum Group will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 25th will be issued a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.12%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 25th. Unum Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 17.74%.

Unum Group declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Tuesday, February 18th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to purchase up to 7.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity at Unum Group

In other news, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 980,637 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $80,402,427.63. This represents a 4.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.75, for a total value of $579,250.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,284 shares in the company, valued at $2,588,751. This trade represents a 18.28 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.93% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.