Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Shares Sold by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans reduced its stake in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 16.6% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 93,271 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 18,560 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Unum Group were worth $6,811,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in shares of Unum Group by 26.4% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 766 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. grew its stake in 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 buying an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased 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 worth $974,000 after buying an additional 189 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its stake in Unum Group by 3.1% in the third quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 6,592 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $392,000 after buying an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 35,169 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,568,000 after acquiring an additional 202 shares during the period. 86.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Unum Group

In other news, 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,284 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,588,751. This trade represents a 18.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the business’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 value of $4,099,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 980,637 shares in the company, valued at $80,402,427.63. This trade represents a 4.85 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Stock Performance

NYSE UNM opened at $81.54 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.61, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.74. The business’s 50 day moving average is $76.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $70.46. Unum Group has a 12-month low of $48.38 and a 12-month high of $83.96. The company has a current ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.14 by ($0.11). Unum Group had a return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 13.81%. Research analysts expect that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current year.

Unum Group declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, February 18th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to reacquire up to 7.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th were paid a $0.42 dividend. 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%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on UNM shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $81.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Raymond James upgraded shares of Unum Group from a “market perform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $108.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. 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 report on Tuesday, December 10th. Barclays raised their price target on Unum Group from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $79.00 price objective (up from $74.00) on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.62.

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.