Bridgewater Associates LP Has $24.80 Million Stock Holdings in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Bridgewater Associates LP lifted its holdings in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) by 50.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 339,631 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 113,482 shares during the period. Bridgewater Associates LP owned approximately 0.19% of Unum Group worth $24,803,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Barrett & Company Inc. lifted its stake in 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 during the period. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Unum Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in Unum Group in the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in 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. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. raised its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNM has been the topic of several analyst reports. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Unum Group from $75.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective 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. StockNews.com cut shares of Unum Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Unum Group from $97.00 to $95.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Unum Group from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" 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 given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $88.36.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of Unum Group 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 31,284 shares in the company, valued at $2,588,751. The trade was a 18.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 980,637 shares of the company's stock, 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.

Unum Group Trading Up 0.2 %

UNM traded up $0.17 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $75.85. 1,131,954 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,298,564. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.01, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.46. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $77.75 and its 200 day simple moving average is $73.24. Unum Group has a one year low of $48.38 and a one year high of $84.48.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) 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, analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 16th. Investors of record on Friday, April 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 25th. Unum Group's payout ratio is presently 17.74%.

Unum Group announced that its board has initiated 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 repurchase up to 7.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

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.