Handelsbanken Fonder AB Has $3.30 Million Stock Holdings in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB decreased its position in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 9.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 45,207 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 4,600 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $3,301,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Barrett & Company Inc. raised its position in shares of Unum Group by 300.0% during the fourth quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 396 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in Unum Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Unum Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Quarry LP boosted its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 4,794.7% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 930 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 911 shares during the period. Finally, 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 acquiring an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Stock Performance

NYSE:UNM opened at $74.07 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $74.28 and its 200-day moving average is $66.95. Unum Group has a 1-year low of $48.38 and a 1-year high of $79.43. The company has a current ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market cap of $13.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.80.

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

Unum Group announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Tuesday, February 18th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to buy up to 7.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th were issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. Unum Group’s payout ratio is presently 17.74%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Unum Group

In other news, EVP Timothy Gerald Arnold sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.92, for a total value of $769,200.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 54,827 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,217,292.84. This represents a 15.43 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNM has been the subject of a number of research reports. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Unum Group from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of Unum Group from $88.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Unum Group from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $91.00 price objective for the company. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $81.17.

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.