Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Shares Acquired by Victory Capital Management Inc.

Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) by 23.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,462,917 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 276,655 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned approximately 0.80% of Unum Group worth $106,837,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barrett & Company Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 300.0% in the 4th quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 396 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares in the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in Unum Group in the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Unum Group during the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Quarry LP lifted its holdings in 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 buying an additional 911 shares during the period. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in 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 buying an additional 160 shares during the period. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on UNM shares. Barclays boosted their price target on 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 target price on shares of Unum Group from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Unum Group from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of Unum Group from $90.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $86.62.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.75, for a total value 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 represents a 18.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the firm'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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 980,637 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $80,402,427.63. This trade represents a 4.85 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.93% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Unum Group Stock Performance

Shares of UNM traded down $0.41 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $79.05. 1,274,457 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,147,299. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $75.59 and a 200-day moving average price of $68.52. Unum Group has a 12-month low of $48.38 and a 12-month high of $83.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.74.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 EPS 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 analysts anticipate 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 was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors 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 2.13%. Unum Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 17.74%.

Unum Group announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, February 18th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the financial services provider to purchase up to 7.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually 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.