Signaturefd LLC Trims Stock Holdings in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Signaturefd LLC trimmed its position in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 1.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 18,841 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 181 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $1,376,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Unum Group by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,552,252 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $405,481,000 after acquiring an additional 51,744 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Unum Group by 23.3% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,462,917 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $106,837,000 after acquiring an additional 276,655 shares in the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH boosted its holdings in Unum Group by 44.9% in the fourth quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 1,264,994 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $92,383,000 after acquiring an additional 392,191 shares in the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 151.7% during the third quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 509,702 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,297,000 after purchasing an additional 307,175 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 50.0% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 469,342 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,554,000 after purchasing an additional 156,380 shares in the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on UNM shares. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Unum Group from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Unum Group from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. 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 report on Tuesday, January 7th. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on Unum Group from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research 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 objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $86.62.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.99, for a total transaction of $4,099,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 980,637 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $80,402,427.63. This represents a 4.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of the firm’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 directly owns 31,284 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,588,751. The trade was 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 currently owned by company insiders.

Unum Group Stock Performance

Shares of UNM opened at $80.86 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $76.40 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $69.91. The stock has a market cap of $14.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.54, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.74. Unum Group has a 52 week low of $48.38 and a 52 week high of $83.96.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last released its 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 return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 13.81%. On average, analysts expect that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th were given a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.08%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.74%.

Unum Group announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, February 18th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the financial services provider to purchase up to 7.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

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.