Barclays PLC Purchases 246,519 Shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) by 97.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 498,638 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 246,519 shares during the period. Barclays PLC owned about 0.27% of Unum Group worth $36,415,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Unum Group by 8.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,497,586 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,496,939,000 after acquiring an additional 1,596,078 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Unum Group during the 4th quarter valued at $1,003,918,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Unum Group by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,552,252 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $405,481,000 after buying an additional 51,744 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Unum Group by 23.3% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,462,917 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $106,837,000 after buying an additional 276,655 shares during the period. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 44.9% during the fourth quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 1,264,994 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $92,383,000 after buying an additional 392,191 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.57% of the company's stock.

Unum Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNM traded up $0.17 on Friday, hitting $75.85. 1,131,954 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,298,678. The company's 50 day moving average price is $77.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $73.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.01, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.29. 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 released 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%. Research analysts expect that Unum Group will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Unum Group announced that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Tuesday, February 18th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to repurchase up to 7.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The business 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. 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 dividend payout ratio is 17.74%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Unum Group

In related news, 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 transaction of $4,099,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 980,637 shares of the company's stock, valued at $80,402,427.63. This trade represents a 4.85 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of the company's 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.93% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on UNM. Morgan Stanley raised their price target 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. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Unum Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Unum Group from $75.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Raymond James upgraded Unum Group from a "market perform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $108.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on shares of Unum Group from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Five 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $88.36.

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.