Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Sells 18,560 Shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans cut its stake in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) by 16.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 93,271 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 18,560 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned 0.05% of Unum Group worth $6,811,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Barrett & Company Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 300.0% in 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 during the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Unum Group in the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in shares of Unum Group by 26.4% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 766 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the period. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. increased its position in shares of Unum Group by 28.8% in the fourth 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 period. Finally, Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. bought a new position in shares of Unum Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $58,000. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Unum Group Stock Down 0.6 %

UNM stock traded down $0.46 on Thursday, reaching $81.87. 1,040,539 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,184,690. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $77.35 and a 200-day simple moving average of $70.86. The company has a market cap of $14.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.74. Unum Group has a one year low of $48.38 and a one year high of $87.30. 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 (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) last issued 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%. Research analysts anticipate that Unum Group will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Unum Group declared that its board has approved a share buyback program 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 repurchase up to 7.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th were issued a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.05%. Unum Group's payout ratio is currently 17.74%.

Insider Activity

In other Unum Group news, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 980,637 shares in the company, valued at approximately $80,402,427.63. This trade represents a 4.85 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,284 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,588,751. This represents a 18.28 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.93% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a "neutral" rating and set a $79.00 price target (up previously from $74.00) on shares of Unum Group in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. 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 report on Wednesday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $90.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Five equities research 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $86.62.

Unum Group Company 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.