Prudential Financial Inc. Reduces Stake in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Prudential Financial Inc. lessened its position in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) by 18.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 166,652 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 36,780 shares during the quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. owned about 0.09% of Unum Group worth $12,171,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position 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 worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. grew 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 worth $58,000 after buying an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its position 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 valued at $974,000 after buying an additional 189 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in 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 buying an additional 202 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Naples Global Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Unum Group by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Naples Global Advisors LLC now owns 36,075 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,635,000 after acquiring an additional 203 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.57% of the company's stock.

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Unum Group Stock Performance

NYSE UNM traded up $0.55 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $82.55. 197,932 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,436,739. The business's 50 day moving average is $77.91 and its 200-day moving average is $71.63. The company has a market capitalization of $14.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.74. Unum Group has a 1 year low of $48.38 and a 1 year high of $84.48. 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 (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share 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%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group announced that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Tuesday, February 18th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to buy up to 7.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th were issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. Unum Group's payout ratio is 17.74%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNM has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective 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. 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 research note on Wednesday, March 5th. StockNews.com downgraded Unum Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on Unum Group from $90.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $87.86.

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.