Alliancebernstein L.P. Has $20.77 Million Holdings in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Alliancebernstein L.P. trimmed its holdings in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) by 12.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 284,463 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 39,281 shares during the quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned about 0.16% of Unum Group worth $20,774,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNM. Barrett & Company Inc. boosted its stake in Unum Group by 300.0% during 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. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Unum Group in the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new position in Unum Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $45,000. Quarry LP grew 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 acquiring an additional 911 shares during the period. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings 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 valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on Unum Group from $103.00 to $102.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Unum Group from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Unum Group from $81.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Raymond James upgraded 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. Five investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $88.36.

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Unum Group Stock Up 2.0 %

Unum Group stock traded up $1.46 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $75.28. The company had a trading volume of 1,921,703 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,286,562. The firm's fifty day moving average is $77.80 and its 200-day moving average is $72.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.46. Unum Group has a fifty-two week low of $48.38 and a fifty-two week high of $84.48. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.14 by ($0.11). Unum Group had a return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 13.81%. On average, research analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 16th. Investors of record on Friday, April 25th will be paid a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 25th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.23%. Unum Group's payout ratio is 17.74%.

Unum Group declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, February 18th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to buy up to 7.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Unum Group news, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 980,637 shares of the company's stock, valued at $80,402,427.63. This represents a 4.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $2,588,751. This represents a 18.28 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.93% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.