Lake Street Advisors Group LLC Sells 366 Shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Lake Street Advisors Group LLC trimmed its holdings in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 8.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,131 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 366 shares during the quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $302,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Barrett & Company Inc. raised its stake in Unum Group by 300.0% during 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 during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in Unum Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Unum Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Quarry LP grew 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 acquiring an additional 911 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 26.4% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 766 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unum Group Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:UNM opened at $82.27 on Friday. Unum Group has a 1 year low of $48.38 and a 1 year high of $83.96. The company has a market cap of $15.02 billion, a PE ratio of 8.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.29 and a quick ratio of 0.28. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $74.73 and its 200 day moving average is $67.43.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last posted its earnings results 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%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current year.

Unum Group announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program 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 shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The company 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. 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 2.04%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.74%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $79.00 price objective (up from $74.00) on shares of Unum Group in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Unum Group from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday. Barclays increased their price objective on Unum Group from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com lowered Unum Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price target on Unum Group from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $83.92.

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.