KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Invests $4.54 Million in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new stake in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor acquired 62,200 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $4,542,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Barrett & Company Inc. raised its position in shares of Unum Group by 300.0% in the fourth quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 396 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Unum Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in Unum Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $45,000. Quarry LP lifted its stake in Unum Group by 4,794.7% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 930 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 911 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 26.4% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 766 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Unum Group Stock Down 0.4 %

NYSE:UNM opened at $83.03 on Wednesday. Unum Group has a 52 week low of $48.38 and a 52 week high of $84.48. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $77.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $70.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.14 by ($0.11). Unum Group had a return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 13.81%. Research analysts anticipate that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current year.

Unum Group declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Tuesday, February 18th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to reacquire up to 7.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th were issued a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.74%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on UNM shares. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Unum Group from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of Unum Group from $90.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $81.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Unum Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Unum Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $86.62.

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.