QRG Capital Management Inc. Boosts Stake in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 1.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,336 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 189 shares during the quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $974,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in UNM. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Unum Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $11,456,000. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 37.3% in the 4th quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 20,711 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,513,000 after buying an additional 5,623 shares in the last quarter. Advisor OS LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unum Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $201,000. FourThought Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unum Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $341,000. Finally, Callan Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Unum Group by 12.3% during the 4th quarter. Callan Capital LLC now owns 9,061 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $662,000 after acquiring an additional 996 shares in the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Unum Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNM opened at $81.29 on Tuesday. Unum Group has a twelve month low of $48.38 and a twelve month high of $83.96. 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 cap of $14.84 billion, a PE ratio of 8.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.80. The company’s 50 day moving average is $74.93 and its 200 day moving average is $67.83.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last released 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, sell-side analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current year.

Unum Group declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback 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 purchase up to 7.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th were paid a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.07%. Unum Group’s payout ratio is 17.74%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Unum Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Unum Group from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Evercore ISI raised Unum Group from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the company from $67.00 to $84.00 in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Unum Group from $81.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $84.83.

About Unum Group

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.