Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Sees Large Decrease in Short Interest

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,180,000 shares, a drop of 15.5% from the December 31st total of 2,580,000 shares. Approximately 1.2% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 1,310,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.7 days.

Insider Transactions at Unum Group

In related news, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.61, for a total value of $363,050.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 35,840 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,602,342.40. This trade represents a 12.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Timothy Gerald Arnold sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.92, for a total value of $769,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 54,827 shares in the company, valued at $4,217,292.84. This trade represents a 15.43 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 102,914 shares of company stock valued at $7,677,945 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Unum Group

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barrett & Company Inc. raised 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 buying an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in Unum Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new stake in Unum Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $37,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Unum Group during the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its stake in Unum Group by 38.2% during the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 702 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 194 shares during the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unum Group Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of UNM stock traded down $0.76 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $76.25. 1,311,611 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 940,952. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $74.23 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $64.52. Unum Group has a 12-month low of $46.39 and a 12-month high of $77.69. The stock has a market cap of $13.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.25, a PEG ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.81. 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) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 analyst estimates of $3.26 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.94 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Unum Group will post 8.54 EPS for the current year.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th will be issued a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.20%. Unum Group’s payout ratio is currently 18.18%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Unum Group from $74.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Piper Sandler raised their price target on Unum Group from $74.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Barclays raised their price target on Unum Group from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Bank of America raised their price target on Unum Group from $54.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Unum Group from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Unum Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $79.00.

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.