Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Shares Acquired by Sowell Financial Services LLC

Sowell Financial Services LLC boosted its holdings in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 2.8% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 24,934 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 689 shares during the period. Sowell Financial Services LLC’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $1,821,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barrett & Company Inc. grew its stake in Unum Group by 300.0% in the 4th quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 396 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in Unum Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Unum Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Quarry LP grew its stake in Unum Group by 4,794.7% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 930 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 911 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in Unum Group by 26.4% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 766 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on UNM. StockNews.com cut shares of Unum Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. Raymond James raised shares of 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 note on Wednesday, March 5th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Unum Group from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of Unum Group from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised shares of Unum Group from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $67.00 to $84.00 in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.62.

Insider Activity at Unum Group

In related 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 transaction, the executive vice president now 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 filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 980,637 shares in the company, valued at $80,402,427.63. The trade was a 4.85 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.93% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Unum Group Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of UNM stock opened at $79.05 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $13.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.35, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.74. Unum Group has a 1-year low of $48.38 and a 1-year high of $83.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.29 and a quick ratio of 0.28. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $75.59 and its 200-day simple moving average is $68.62.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 13.81%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th were issued a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.13%. Unum Group’s payout ratio is 17.74%.

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

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.