Sharpepoint LLC Acquires New Shares in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Sharpepoint LLC bought a new position in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 5,501 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $402,000.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barrett & Company Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Unum Group by 300.0% during the 4th quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 396 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unum Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in Unum Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $45,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake 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 during the period. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. raised its holdings in Unum Group by 28.8% in the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 800 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Unum Group

In other Unum Group news, 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,284 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,588,751. The trade was a 18.28 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.99, for a total transaction of $4,099,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 980,637 shares in the company, valued at approximately $80,402,427.63. The trade was a 4.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.93% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Unum Group from $81.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Raymond James raised Unum Group from a "market perform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $108.00 price target for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Unum Group from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Barclays boosted their target price on Unum Group from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Unum Group from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Unum Group has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $88.36.

Unum Group Price Performance

Unum Group stock traded up $0.56 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $79.26. 1,195,849 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,303,953. The company has a market capitalization of $13.97 billion, a PE ratio of 8.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.46. The business has a fifty day moving average of $77.87 and a 200 day moving average of $73.70. Unum Group has a 1-year low of $48.38 and a 1-year high of $84.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) last released 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Unum Group will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Unum Group declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, February 18th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to purchase up to 7.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 25th. Unum Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.