Advisory Services Network LLC Sells 3,030 Shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Advisory Services Network LLC reduced its position in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 8.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 33,100 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 3,030 shares during the period. Advisory Services Network LLC’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $2,417,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 8.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,497,586 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,496,939,000 after buying an additional 1,596,078 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Unum Group during the fourth quarter worth about $1,003,918,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 51,744 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Unum Group by 23.3% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,462,917 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $106,837,000 after purchasing an additional 276,655 shares during the period. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its position in shares of Unum Group by 44.9% during the 4th quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 1,264,994 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $92,383,000 after purchasing an additional 392,191 shares in the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Unum Group from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Unum Group from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Raymond James upgraded Unum Group from a “market perform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $108.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $75.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $97.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Five investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, Unum Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $88.07.

Unum Group Stock Performance

NYSE UNM opened at $73.82 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $77.81 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $72.73. The stock has a market cap of $13.05 billion, a PE ratio of 7.80, a PEG 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 fifty-two week low of $48.38 and a fifty-two week high of $84.48.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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, equities analysts expect that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 16th. Investors of record on Friday, April 25th will be issued a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.28%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.74%.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.75, for a total transaction of $579,250.00. Following 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 980,637 shares in the company, valued at approximately $80,402,427.63. This represents a 4.85 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.93% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Unum Group Company 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.