Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Shares Sold by Alliancebernstein L.P.

Alliancebernstein L.P. decreased its position in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 12.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 284,463 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 39,281 shares during the quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned approximately 0.16% of Unum Group worth $20,774,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of UNM. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in Unum Group by 50.0% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 469,342 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,554,000 after buying an additional 156,380 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 44.1% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 16,495 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,205,000 after purchasing an additional 5,047 shares in the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Unum Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,074,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management purchased a new stake in Unum Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $8,816,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Unum Group by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,552,252 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $405,481,000 after buying an additional 51,744 shares in the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unum Group Price Performance

Shares of UNM opened at $70.71 on Tuesday. 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 has a 1-year low of $48.38 and a 1-year high of $84.48. The stock has a market cap of $12.50 billion, a PE ratio of 7.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.46. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $78.10 and a 200 day moving average price of $72.38.

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

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th were given a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.38%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.74%.

Unum Group declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, February 18th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to repurchase up to 7.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on UNM shares. StockNews.com lowered Unum Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Raymond James raised Unum Group from a “market perform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $108.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Unum Group from $81.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of Unum Group from $90.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $87.86.

Insider Transactions at Unum Group

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

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.