Ascent Group LLC Has $1.43 Million Stock Holdings in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Ascent Group LLC trimmed its position in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 3.8% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 19,569 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 781 shares during the period. Ascent Group LLC’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $1,429,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its holdings in Unum Group by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 6,536 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $478,000 after buying an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC grew its holdings in Unum Group by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 18,211 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,330,000 after buying an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in 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 buying an additional 189 shares in the last quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Unum Group by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 9,151 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $668,000 after buying an additional 189 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Naples Global Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Unum Group by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Naples Global Advisors LLC now owns 36,075 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,635,000 after buying an additional 203 shares in the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNM has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Unum Group from $95.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Barclays upped their price objective on Unum Group from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on Unum Group from $103.00 to $102.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Unum Group from $81.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, UBS Group set a $89.00 target price on Unum Group and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $88.29.

Unum Group Price Performance

Unum Group stock opened at $79.90 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company has a market capitalization of $13.93 billion, a PE ratio of 8.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.38. Unum Group has a 12 month low of $48.38 and a 12 month high of $84.48. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $78.68 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $76.43.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.19 by ($0.15). The firm 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%. Unum Group’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.12 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 25th were given a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 25th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.10%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.79%.

Unum Group announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, February 18th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the financial services provider to buy up to 7.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Unum Group

In other Unum Group news, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.75, for a total value of $579,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,284 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,588,751. This trade represents a 18.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total value of $800,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 51,170 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,093,600. This represents a 16.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 67,000 shares of company stock worth $5,478,750. 0.92% of the stock is currently owned by 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.