Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Stake Lessened by Sigma Planning Corp

Sigma Planning Corp trimmed its holdings in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 8.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,387 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 427 shares during the period. Sigma Planning Corp’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $261,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of UNM. Bleakley Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 5.3% in the 1st quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 5,645 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $303,000 after purchasing an additional 283 shares during the period. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System lifted its position in Unum Group by 8.0% in the 1st quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 177,593 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $9,530,000 after buying an additional 13,171 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp boosted its stake in shares of Unum Group by 24.7% during the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 140,686 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $7,577,000 after buying an additional 27,826 shares during the period. Patten & Patten Inc. TN grew its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 16.3% during the 1st quarter. Patten & Patten Inc. TN now owns 14,207 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $762,000 after acquiring an additional 1,996 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd increased its stake in shares of Unum Group by 27.4% in the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 2,006 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $108,000 after acquiring an additional 431 shares during the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unum Group Stock Up 1.3 %

UNM stock opened at $73.19 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.28 and a quick ratio of 0.28. The company has a 50-day moving average of $61.92 and a two-hundred day moving average of $55.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.76. Unum Group has a 52-week low of $41.86 and a 52-week high of $73.24.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 the consensus estimate of $3.26 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.94 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Unum Group will post 8.53 EPS for the current year.

Unum Group declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Tuesday, July 30th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to repurchase up to 10% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 25th were issued a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 25th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.18%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 67,795 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.98, for a total transaction of $3,727,369.10. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,065,868 shares in the company, valued at approximately $58,601,422.64. The trade was a 5.98 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Walter Lynn Rice, Jr. sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.56, for a total value of $104,340.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 8,361 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $581,591.16. This trade represents a 15.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 91,844 shares of company stock worth $5,411,032 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $66.00 price objective (up previously from $64.00) on shares of Unum Group in a research report on Friday, September 27th. UBS Group raised Unum Group to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Citigroup increased their price objective on Unum Group from $62.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $69.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Unum Group from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $67.73.

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.