Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Grows Position in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its holdings in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) by 8.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 45,267 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 3,554 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank's holdings in Unum Group were worth $3,306,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc increased 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 buying an additional 160 shares during the period. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. boosted its position in shares of Unum Group by 28.8% during the 4th 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. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased 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. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Unum Group by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 13,336 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $974,000 after purchasing an additional 189 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its stake in Unum Group by 3.1% during the third quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 6,592 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $392,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on UNM. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $79.00 price target (up previously from $74.00) on shares of Unum Group in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Barclays boosted their target price on Unum Group from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Raymond James raised shares of Unum Group from a "market perform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $108.00 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of Unum Group from $90.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $86.62.

Unum Group Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:UNM traded up $0.63 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $81.51. The stock had a trading volume of 1,000,022 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,284,896. Unum Group has a 52 week low of $48.38 and a 52 week high of $83.96. 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 firm's fifty day moving average is $76.40 and its 200 day moving average is $69.91. The stock has a market cap of $14.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.74.

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

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th were given a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.06%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. Unum Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.74%.

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

Insider Transactions at Unum Group

In other Unum Group news, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 31,284 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,588,751. This trade represents a 18.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 980,637 shares of the company's stock, 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. Insiders own 0.93% of the company's stock.

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.