23,328 Shares in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Bought by Graham Capital Management L.P.

Graham Capital Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 23,328 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,704,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Barrett & Company Inc. increased its stake in shares of Unum Group by 300.0% in the fourth quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 396 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares during the period. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Unum Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in Unum Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 28.8% in the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 800 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Unum Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $58,000. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. UBS Group upped their price objective on Unum Group from $75.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Unum Group from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $95.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Unum Group from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Unum Group from $81.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $88.50.

Unum Group Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:UNM opened at $80.39 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $14.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.38. 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 52-week low of $48.38 and a 52-week high of $84.48. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $78.40 and a 200 day simple moving average of $75.23.

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

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 25th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.09%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.79%.

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

Insider Transactions at Unum Group

In other Unum Group news, 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 31,284 shares in the company, valued at $2,588,751. This trade represents a 18.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.99, for a total transaction of $4,099,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 980,637 shares in the company, valued at $80,402,427.63. This represents a 4.85% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

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.