Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Cuts Position in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP decreased its stake in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 1.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,954,260 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 84,921 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned approximately 2.71% of Unum Group worth $361,811,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 50.0% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 469,342 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,554,000 after acquiring an additional 156,380 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of Unum Group by 44.1% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 16,495 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,205,000 after buying an additional 5,047 shares in the last quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Unum Group during the 4th quarter worth $8,816,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Unum Group by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,552,252 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $405,481,000 after buying an additional 51,744 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oak Thistle LLC grew its stake in Unum Group by 362.9% in the 4th quarter. Oak Thistle LLC now owns 19,461 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,421,000 after acquiring an additional 15,257 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Unum Group

In other Unum Group 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 980,637 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $80,402,427.63. This represents a 4.85 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.75, for a total transaction of $579,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 31,284 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,588,751. This trade represents a 18.28 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Price Performance

UNM stock opened at $75.85 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $13.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.29. Unum Group has a 1 year low of $48.38 and a 1 year high of $84.48. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $77.76 and a 200-day simple moving average of $73.45.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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%. On average, equities analysts predict that Unum Group will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, February 18th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to buy up to 7.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 25th will be given a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 25th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.21%. Unum Group’s payout ratio is currently 17.74%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on UNM. StockNews.com downgraded Unum Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Unum Group from $75.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on shares of Unum Group from $103.00 to $102.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Raymond James upgraded shares of Unum Group from a “market perform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $108.00 target price on the stock 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 given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Unum Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $88.36.

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.