Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Stock Holdings Trimmed by Investors Research Corp

Investors Research Corp lowered its holdings in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 29.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 24,376 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 10,224 shares during the period. Investors Research Corp’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $1,780,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barrett & Company Inc. raised its stake in shares of Unum Group by 300.0% in the 4th quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 396 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 297 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Unum Group in the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of Unum Group in the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 26.4% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 766 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. grew its holdings in shares of 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 worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the company’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 approximately $80,402,427.63. This represents a 4.85 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $2,588,751. This represents a 18.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.93% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNM has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $79.00 target price (up from $74.00) on shares of Unum Group in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Unum Group from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. StockNews.com cut Unum Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on Unum Group from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Raymond James upgraded 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. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $86.62.

Unum Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UNM opened at $79.05 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $75.59 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $68.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.29 and a quick ratio of 0.28. Unum Group has a one year low of $48.38 and a one year high of $83.96. The company has a market capitalization of $13.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.74.

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

Unum Group announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, February 18th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the financial services provider to purchase up to 7.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th were given a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.13%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.74%.

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.