Insider Selling: Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Director Sells $1,030,957.90 in Stock

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Director Hanley Ronald P. O sold 14,299 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.10, for a total value of $1,030,957.90. Following the sale, the director now owns 38,819 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,798,849.90. This represents a 26.92 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Unum Group Stock Performance

Shares of Unum Group stock opened at $73.19 on Monday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $61.92 and its 200 day simple moving average is $55.95. The company has a current ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Unum Group has a 12 month low of $41.86 and a 12 month high of $73.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.76.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $3.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.26 billion. Unum Group had a return on equity of 15.21% and a net margin of 13.76%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.94 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Unum Group will post 8.53 EPS for the current year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 25th were given a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 25th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.18%.

Unum Group announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, July 30th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to purchase up to 10% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Trading of Unum Group

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in UNM. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in Unum Group by 361.5% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 503 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 394 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unum Group during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Unum Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in Unum Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new position in shares of Unum Group in the third quarter worth $37,000. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Evercore ISI raised shares of Unum Group from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $67.00 to $84.00 in a research report on Thursday. UBS Group raised shares of Unum Group to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Unum Group from $62.00 to $69.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Unum Group from $69.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Unum Group from $65.00 to $63.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $67.73.

About Unum Group

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.