Renaissance Technologies LLC Decreases Stock Position in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Renaissance Technologies LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) by 30.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 335,200 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 145,800 shares during the quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned approximately 0.18% of Unum Group worth $24,480,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in UNM. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in Unum Group by 26.4% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 766 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. increased its stake in shares of Unum Group by 28.8% during the fourth quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 800 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Unum Group by 1.4% during the fourth 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. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Unum Group by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 35,169 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,568,000 after purchasing an additional 202 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Naples Global Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Unum Group by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Naples Global Advisors LLC now owns 36,075 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,635,000 after buying an additional 203 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.57% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on UNM shares. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Unum Group from $97.00 to $95.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Raymond James raised Unum Group from a "market perform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $108.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Unum Group from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Unum Group from $81.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $88.36.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Unum Group news, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of Unum Group 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 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.75, for a total transaction of $579,250.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 31,284 shares in the company, valued at $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 owned by insiders.

Unum Group Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE UNM traded up $0.17 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $75.85. 1,131,954 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,297,772. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.01, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.46. Unum Group has a 52-week low of $48.38 and a 52-week high of $84.48. The company's 50-day moving average is $77.75 and its 200-day moving average is $73.24. 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 analysts' consensus estimates of $2.14 by ($0.11). Unum Group had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 14.91%. Analysts expect that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 25th will be given a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.21%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 25th. Unum Group's payout ratio is 17.74%.

Unum Group announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase 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 shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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.