Polianta Ltd Buys Shares of 19,900 Unum Group $UNM

Polianta Ltd bought a new stake in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 19,900 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,547,000. Unum Group makes up approximately 0.6% of Polianta Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Unum Group in the 2nd quarter worth about $1,113,353,000. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 7.0% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,341,589 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $271,862,000 after purchasing an additional 219,076 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 11.5% in the 2nd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 1,537,189 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $124,143,000 after purchasing an additional 159,084 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its position in shares of Unum Group by 3.6% in the second quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,482,096 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $119,235,000 after purchasing an additional 51,750 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 0.5% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,416,124 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $115,358,000 after purchasing an additional 6,648 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Trading Down 0.4%

Unum Group stock opened at $79.05 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.36 and a quick ratio of 0.36. The company has a market capitalization of $13.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.41, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.20. Unum Group has a one year low of $66.81 and a one year high of $84.48. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $76.20 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $76.03.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The financial services provider reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.15 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $3.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.31 billion. Unum Group had a return on equity of 13.09% and a net margin of 6.99%.Unum Group’s quarterly revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.13 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 24th were given a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 24th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 35.87%.

Unum Group declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Thursday, December 4th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to purchase up to 8.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNM has been the topic of several research reports. Morgan Stanley set a $85.00 price objective on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Unum Group from $100.00 to $98.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Citigroup reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Unum Group in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Monday. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Unum Group from $92.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $94.91.

Insider Buying and Selling at Unum Group

In related news, EVP Christopher W. Pyne sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.04, for a total transaction of $312,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 51,372 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,009,070.88. This represents a 7.22% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Steven Andrew Zabel sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.38, for a total transaction of $572,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 113,807 shares in the company, valued at $8,692,578.66. The trade was a 6.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 12,400 shares of company stock worth $951,160 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Profile

Unum Group (NYSE: UNM) is a leading provider of employee benefits in the United States and selected international markets, specializing in disability, life, accident and critical illness insurance. Through both fully insured and self-funded arrangements, the company offers group coverage designed to protect income and mitigate financial hardship for employees and their families. Its portfolio includes short-term and long-term disability plans, group life and accidental death & dismemberment (AD&D) policies, as well as critical illness and hospital indemnity products.

In addition to its core product lines, Unum Group markets voluntary benefits under its Colonial Life brand, allowing employees to purchase supplemental insurance such as accident, cancer, and dental coverage directly through payroll deductions.