Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Position Boosted by Barrett & Company Inc.

Barrett & Company Inc. increased its holdings in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 300.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 396 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 297 shares during the quarter. Barrett & Company Inc.’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $29,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in UNM. Artemis Investment Management LLP grew its position in Unum Group by 11.9% in the third quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 232,751 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $13,835,000 after buying an additional 24,664 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Unum Group by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,500,508 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $326,950,000 after purchasing an additional 55,014 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in Unum Group by 50.0% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 469,342 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,554,000 after purchasing an additional 156,380 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its holdings in Unum Group by 89.5% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 111,831 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,647,000 after buying an additional 52,813 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in Unum Group by 44.1% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 16,495 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,205,000 after buying an additional 5,047 shares in the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unum Group Trading Down 1.4 %

NYSE:UNM opened at $76.62 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.28. The company has a market capitalization of $13.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 0.80. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $74.24 and its 200 day moving average price is $65.08. Unum Group has a 52 week low of $46.64 and a 52 week high of $79.43.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last released its quarterly 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 net margin of 13.76% and a return on equity of 15.21%. On average, research analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 8.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.19%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.18%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNM has been the topic of several analyst reports. Evercore ISI raised shares of Unum Group from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $67.00 to $84.00 in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Unum Group from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Barclays upped their price target on Unum Group from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price objective on Unum Group from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $79.45.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 58,865 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.39, for a total transaction of $4,437,832.35. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,007,003 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $75,917,956.17. This represents a 5.52 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Timothy Gerald Arnold sold 10,000 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.92, for a total transaction of $769,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 54,827 shares in the company, valued at $4,217,292.84. This trade represents a 15.43 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 98,164 shares of company stock valued at $7,346,040. 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.