Blue Trust Inc. Buys 5,047 Shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 44.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,495 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,047 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $1,205,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc increased 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 in the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. increased its position in Unum Group by 28.8% in the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 800 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc boosted its stake in shares of Unum Group by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 5,551 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $330,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Unum Group by 38.2% in the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 702 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 194 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group boosted its stake in shares of Unum Group by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 6,592 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $392,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNM opened at $75.99 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $74.10 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $64.18. 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 has a twelve month low of $46.39 and a twelve month high of $77.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.88 billion, a PE ratio of 8.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.81.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.03. Unum Group had a net margin of 13.76% and a return on equity of 15.21%. The company 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. Unum Group’s revenue was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 8.54 EPS for the current year.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be given a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.21%. Unum Group’s payout ratio is presently 18.18%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Unum Group

In other Unum Group news, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 5,000 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.16, for a total transaction of $320,800.00. Following 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 trade represents a 7.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Christopher W. Pyne sold 3,250 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.02, for a total transaction of $227,565.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 50,762 shares in the company, valued at $3,554,355.24. This trade represents a 6.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 107,914 shares of company stock worth $7,998,745 over the last three months. 0.93% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on UNM. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Unum Group from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $79.00 price objective (up from $74.00) on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Jefferies Financial Group increased 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. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of Unum Group in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $91.00 target price for the company. Finally, Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Unum Group from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the company from $67.00 to $84.00 in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $76.75.

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.