Rhumbline Advisers Sells 5,737 Shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Rhumbline Advisers lessened its stake in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) by 1.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 527,986 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 5,737 shares during the quarter. Rhumbline Advisers owned 0.29% of Unum Group worth $38,559,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Barrett & Company Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Unum Group by 300.0% during the fourth quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 396 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares in the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Unum Group during the third quarter worth about $31,000. Quarry LP increased its position in shares of Unum Group by 4,794.7% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 930 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 911 shares during the last quarter. 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 acquiring an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Live Oak Investment Partners purchased a new stake in shares of Unum Group during the third quarter worth about $58,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.57% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Timothy Gerald Arnold sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.92, for a total transaction of $769,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 54,827 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,217,292.84. This represents a 15.43 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.93% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on UNM. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Unum Group from $88.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Unum Group from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on Unum Group from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Unum Group from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Unum Group from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Unum Group has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $81.17.

Unum Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UNM traded down $0.72 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $74.07. 1,204,077 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,129,832. The firm has a market cap of $13.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.82, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.29 and a quick ratio of 0.28. Unum Group has a twelve month low of $48.38 and a twelve month high of $79.43. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $74.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $66.61.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) last released its 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 return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 13.81%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current year.

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

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th were given a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.27%. Unum Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.74%.

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.