Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. Cuts Position in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. lowered its position in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 8.1% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 5,690 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 500 shares during the period. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $416,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in Unum Group during the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Unum Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $37,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its position 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 worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 194 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in Unum Group by 26.4% during the 4th 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 during the period. Finally, William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in Unum Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $44,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Stock Up 0.3 %

NYSE:UNM opened at $75.21 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $74.02 and a 200 day simple moving average of $64.01. Unum Group has a one year low of $46.39 and a one year high of $77.63. The company has a market capitalization of $13.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.28.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.03. Unum Group had a return on equity of 15.21% and a net margin of 13.76%. The business had revenue of $3.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.26 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.94 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Unum Group will post 8.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.23%. Unum Group’s payout ratio is 18.18%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNM has been the subject of several analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on Unum Group in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $91.00 target price for the company. Barclays upped 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $79.00 price objective (up previously from $74.00) on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of Unum Group from $74.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Unum Group from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $76.75.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.16, for a total transaction of $320,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 58,741 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,768,822.56. This represents a 7.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 58,865 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.39, for a total value of $4,437,832.35. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,007,003 shares in the company, valued at approximately $75,917,956.17. This trade represents a 5.52 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 107,914 shares of company stock valued at $7,998,745. Company insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

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.