Neuberger Berman Group LLC Has $30.88 Million Stock Holdings in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Neuberger Berman Group LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 10.2% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 422,888 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 48,184 shares during the period. Neuberger Berman Group LLC’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $30,884,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Barrett & Company Inc. grew its stake in Unum Group by 300.0% during 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 in the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Unum Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new position in Unum Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in Unum Group by 26.4% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 766 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Unum Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $58,000. 86.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNM has been the subject of a number of research reports. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $87.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Unum Group from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Raymond James raised Unum Group from a “market perform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $108.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on Unum Group from $103.00 to $102.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Unum Group from $81.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $88.07.

Unum Group Price Performance

Shares of Unum Group stock opened at $73.82 on Friday. 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 firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $77.81 and a 200-day simple moving average of $72.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.80, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.46. Unum Group has a 1-year low of $48.38 and a 1-year high of $84.48.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last released its earnings results 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 expect that Unum Group will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 16th. Investors of record on Friday, April 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.28%. Unum Group’s payout ratio is 17.74%.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Unum Group

In other Unum Group news, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,284 shares in the company, 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 SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the business’s 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 980,637 shares in the company, valued at approximately $80,402,427.63. The trade was a 4.85 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

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.