Two Sigma Advisers LP Lowers Holdings in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Two Sigma Advisers LP lowered its holdings in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 36.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 443,700 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 257,700 shares during the period. Two Sigma Advisers LP’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $32,403,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Unum Group by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 6,536 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $478,000 after buying an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Unum Group by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 18,211 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,330,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Unum Group by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 13,336 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $974,000 after purchasing an additional 189 shares during the period. Belpointe Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Unum Group by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 9,151 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $668,000 after purchasing an additional 189 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Naples Global Advisors LLC grew its stake in Unum Group by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Naples Global Advisors LLC now owns 36,075 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,635,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Unum Group

In other Unum Group news, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of the business’s 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 31,284 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,588,751. The trade was a 18.28% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $80,402,427.63. This trade represents a 4.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 67,000 shares of company stock worth $5,478,750 in the last ninety days. 0.92% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Unum Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UNM opened at $81.99 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. Unum Group has a fifty-two week low of $48.38 and a fifty-two week high of $84.48. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $78.75 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $76.03. The firm has a market cap of $14.30 billion, a PE ratio of 8.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.38.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.19 by ($0.15). Unum Group had a return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 13.81%. The firm had revenue of $3.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.34 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.12 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Unum Group will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 25th were given a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 25th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.05%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 19.79%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on Unum Group from $87.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Unum Group from $95.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Unum Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Unum Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $88.43.

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.