Proficio Capital Partners LLC Purchases Shares of 156,868 Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 156,868 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $11,456,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC owned about 0.09% of Unum Group at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in UNM. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 21.6% during the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 34,967 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,078,000 after buying an additional 6,202 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue boosted its holdings in Unum Group by 2.6% during the third quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 19,857 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,180,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the period. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. grew its position in shares of Unum Group by 26.7% in the third quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 9,082 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $540,000 after purchasing an additional 1,913 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Unum Group by 60.3% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 3,218 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $191,000 after purchasing an additional 1,211 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Unum Group by 23.5% in the third quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 4,941 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $313,000 after purchasing an additional 940 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.57% of the company's stock.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNM has been the topic of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $79.00 target price (up previously from $74.00) on shares of Unum Group in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Raymond James upgraded shares of Unum Group from a "market perform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $108.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $81.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Unum Group from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on Unum Group from $90.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $86.62.

Unum Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UNM traded down $1.59 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $79.68. 442,357 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,146,743. Unum Group has a 12 month low of $48.38 and a 12 month high of $83.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.29. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $75.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is $68.27. The firm has a market cap of $14.55 billion, a PE ratio of 8.42, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.80.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Unum Group will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

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 $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.11%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. Unum Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.74%.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Unum Group news, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of the company'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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,284 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,588,751. This represents a 18.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.93% of the company's stock.

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.