Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Has $1.97 Million Stake in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its stake in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) by 435.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 33,208 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 27,008 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.'s holdings in Unum Group were worth $1,974,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 361.5% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 503 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 394 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unum Group during the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Unum Group during the third quarter worth $31,000. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Unum Group during the second quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new position in Unum Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.57% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on UNM shares. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $69.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. UBS Group upgraded Unum Group to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Evercore ISI upgraded Unum Group from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $67.00 to $84.00 in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Unum Group from $65.00 to $63.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $67.73.

Insider Buying and Selling at Unum Group

In other Unum Group news, Director Hanley Ronald P. O sold 14,299 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.10, for a total value of $1,030,957.90. Following the sale, the director now owns 38,819 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,798,849.90. The trade was a 26.92 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Walter Lynn Rice, Jr. sold 1,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.56, for a total transaction of $104,340.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 8,361 shares in the company, valued at approximately $581,591.16. The trade was a 15.21 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 91,844 shares of company stock worth $5,411,032 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.93% of the company's stock.

Unum Group Stock Down 0.7 %

UNM stock traded down $0.50 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $72.08. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,141,552 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,250,531. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $61.92 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $55.95. Unum Group has a 12 month low of $41.97 and a 12 month high of $73.62. The company has a market capitalization of $13.16 billion, a PE ratio of 7.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.03. Unum Group had a net margin of 13.76% and a return on equity of 15.21%. The firm had revenue of $3.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.26 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.94 earnings per share. Unum Group's revenue for the quarter was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Unum Group will post 8.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 25th were given a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.33%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 25th. Unum Group's dividend payout ratio is 18.18%.

Unum Group declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, July 30th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the financial services provider to repurchase up to 10% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is 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.