Trexquant Investment LP Lowers Position in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Trexquant Investment LP decreased its position in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 37.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 159,903 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 93,814 shares during the quarter. Trexquant Investment LP owned 0.09% of Unum Group worth $11,678,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in 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 buying an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. grew its position in shares of Unum Group by 28.8% during the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 800 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Unum Group by 1.4% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in Unum Group by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 35,169 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,568,000 after purchasing an additional 202 shares during the period. Finally, Naples Global Advisors LLC boosted its position in Unum Group by 0.6% during the fourth 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. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Unum Group

In related news, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were 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 owns 980,637 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $80,402,427.63. This trade represents a 4.85 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of the business’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 in the company, valued at approximately $2,588,751. The trade was a 18.28 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of UNM stock opened at $82.93 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Unum Group has a twelve month low of $48.38 and a twelve month high of $84.48. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $78.20 and its 200-day moving average price is $71.90. The stock has a market cap of $14.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.76, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.74.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share 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%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Unum Group will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th were paid a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.74%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNM has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Raymond James raised Unum Group from a “market perform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $108.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $81.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $75.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of Unum Group from $90.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on Unum Group from $87.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Unum Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $87.86.

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.