Swiss National Bank Has $25.35 Million Stock Position in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Swiss National Bank lowered its position in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) by 6.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 347,100 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 22,500 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned approximately 0.19% of Unum Group worth $25,349,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Apollon Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Unum Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $235,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Unum Group by 435.6% in the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 33,208 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,974,000 after buying an additional 27,008 shares during the period. KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in Unum Group by 10.1% in the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 4,830 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $287,000 after buying an additional 444 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc boosted its stake in Unum Group by 3.4% in the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 5,551 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $330,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Unum Group by 5.5% during the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 28,795 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,712,000 after acquiring an additional 1,499 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.57% of the company's stock.

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Unum Group Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of UNM traded up $0.50 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $81.54. The stock had a trading volume of 10,362,389 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,182,165. The firm has a market cap of $14.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $76.73 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $70.07. Unum Group has a twelve month low of $48.38 and a twelve month high of $84.22. 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 earnings results 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%. On average, analysts anticipate that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current year.

Unum Group declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, February 18th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to repurchase up to 7.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th were issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.06%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. Unum Group's payout ratio is 17.74%.

Insider Activity at Unum Group

In other news, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.75, for a total value of $579,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 31,284 shares in the company, valued at $2,588,751. This trade represents a 18.28 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.99, for a total value of $4,099,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 980,637 shares in the company, valued at approximately $80,402,427.63. This 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 insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on UNM shares. StockNews.com lowered Unum Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on Unum Group from $90.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $79.00 price target (up from $74.00) on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Piper Sandler lifted 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, Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Unum Group from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $86.62.

About Unum Group

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.