Janney Montgomery Scott LLC Trims Stake in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC cut its stake in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 2.5% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 57,373 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,491 shares during the quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $4,190,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Unum Group by 151.7% in the 3rd quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 509,702 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $30,297,000 after acquiring an additional 307,175 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in Unum Group by 50.0% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 469,342 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,554,000 after purchasing an additional 156,380 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund raised its holdings in Unum Group by 183.5% in the second quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 170,100 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $8,694,000 after purchasing an additional 110,100 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Unum Group by 5,844.0% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 101,048 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,006,000 after buying an additional 99,348 shares during the period. Finally, Algert Global LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 69.5% during the 3rd quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 236,264 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $14,044,000 after buying an additional 96,916 shares in the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Unum Group Stock Performance

Shares of UNM opened at $77.07 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $14.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.81. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $74.22 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $64.36. Unum Group has a 12 month low of $46.39 and a 12 month high of $77.69. The company has a current ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.03. Unum Group had a return on equity of 15.21% and a net margin of 13.76%. The company had revenue of $3.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.26 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.94 earnings per share. Unum Group’s revenue was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Unum Group will post 8.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.18%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 24th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.18%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently issued reports on UNM shares. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Unum Group from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Piper Sandler upped their price target on Unum Group from $74.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price objective on Unum Group from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $76.75.

Insider Activity

In other Unum Group news, CAO Walter Lynn Rice, Jr. sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.56, for a total value of $104,340.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 8,361 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $581,591.16. This represents a 15.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Christopher W. Pyne sold 3,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.02, for a total value of $227,565.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 50,762 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,554,355.24. This represents a 6.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 102,914 shares of company stock valued at $7,677,945 in the last 90 days. 0.93% 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.