Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Shares Sold by Pinebridge Investments L.P.

Pinebridge Investments L.P. decreased its position in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) by 20.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 81,166 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 20,621 shares during the period. Pinebridge Investments L.P.'s holdings in Unum Group were worth $5,928,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of UNM. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its stake in Unum Group by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 6,536 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $478,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in shares of Unum Group by 26.4% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 766 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. increased its position in 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 worth $58,000 after buying an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Unum Group by 1.4% during 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Belpointe Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 9,151 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $668,000 after acquiring an additional 189 shares in the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Unum Group

In other news, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.99, for a total value of $4,099,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 980,637 shares of the company's stock, valued at $80,402,427.63. The trade was a 4.85 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of the business'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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 31,284 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,588,751. This trade represents a 18.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.93% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNM has been the subject of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Unum Group from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on Unum Group from $103.00 to $102.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Unum Group from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Unum Group from $75.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Unum Group from $81.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Unum Group currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $88.36.

Unum Group Price Performance

Unum Group stock traded up $0.12 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $79.17. The company had a trading volume of 944,858 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,306,915. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $78.14 and a 200 day simple moving average of $74.24. Unum Group has a fifty-two week low of $48.38 and a fifty-two week high of $84.48. The company has a current ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company has a market cap of $13.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.46.

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 (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%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Unum Group will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Unum Group announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock 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 purchase up to 7.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 (DPR) is 17.74%.

Unum Group 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.