Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Shares Sold by Fmr LLC

Fmr LLC lowered its stake in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 34.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 8,446,698 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 4,523,552 shares during the period. Fmr LLC owned 4.63% of Unum Group worth $616,862,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in Unum Group by 7.7% in the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 234,916 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $17,157,000 after acquiring an additional 16,863 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Unum Group by 9.0% in the 4th quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 79,133 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,779,000 after purchasing an additional 6,555 shares during the last quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Unum Group during the 4th quarter worth $390,000. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Unum Group during the 4th quarter worth about $833,000. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its holdings in Unum Group by 14.2% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 122,387 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $8,938,000 after buying an additional 15,251 shares during the period. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Unum Group news, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.75, for a total transaction of $579,250.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,284 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,588,751. This trade represents a 18.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.99, for a total transaction of $4,099,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 980,637 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $80,402,427.63. This trade represents a 4.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of Unum Group stock opened at $70.14 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $77.84 and a two-hundred day moving average of $72.45. Unum Group has a 12-month low of $48.38 and a 12-month high of $84.48. 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 stock has a market cap of $12.40 billion, a PE ratio of 7.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.46.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 EPS 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, research analysts anticipate that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, February 18th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to buy up to 7.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th were issued a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.40%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.74%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on UNM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Unum Group from $81.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. StockNews.com downgraded Unum Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. 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 report on Wednesday, March 5th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $75.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price 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. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Unum Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $87.86.

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.