J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. Sells 549 Shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. lessened its position in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 7.7% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 6,627 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 549 shares during the period. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $484,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake 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 worth $56,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. raised its stake in Unum Group by 28.8% during the fourth quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 800 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its stake in Unum Group by 3.4% during the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 5,551 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $330,000 after buying an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group raised its stake in Unum Group by 3.1% during the third quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 6,592 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $392,000 after buying an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Unum Group by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 35,169 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,568,000 after buying an additional 202 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Timothy Gerald Arnold sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.92, for a total transaction of $769,200.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 54,827 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,217,292.84. The trade was a 15.43 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.93% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNM has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $88.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of Unum Group in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $91.00 price target for the company. Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of Unum Group from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target 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. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Unum Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $81.17.

Unum Group Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE UNM opened at $74.99 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $74.25 and a 200-day moving average price of $66.55. Unum Group has a 1 year low of $48.38 and a 1 year high of $79.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.29 and a quick ratio of 0.28.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.14 by ($0.11). Unum Group had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 14.91%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 9.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase 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 purchase up to 7.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th were issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.24%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.74%.

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.