Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Short Interest Down 15.5% in January

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) was the target of a large decline in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,180,000 shares, a decline of 15.5% from the December 31st total of 2,580,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,310,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.7 days. Approximately 1.2% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on UNM. Evercore ISI upgraded 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 note on Thursday, November 14th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Unum Group from $74.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on Unum Group from $74.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Unum Group from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Unum Group from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $79.00.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Christopher W. Pyne sold 3,250 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.02, for a total value of $227,565.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 50,762 shares in the company, valued at $3,554,355.24. The trade was a 6.02 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Walter Lynn Rice, Jr. sold 1,500 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.56, for a total value of $104,340.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 8,361 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $581,591.16. This represents a 15.21 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 102,914 shares of company stock valued at $7,677,945 in the last quarter. 0.93% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Unum Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in Unum Group by 26.4% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 766 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the period. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. lifted its holdings in Unum Group by 28.8% during the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 800 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its holdings in Unum Group by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 5,551 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $330,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its holdings in Unum Group by 38.2% during the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 702 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 194 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its holdings in Unum Group by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 6,592 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $392,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Stock Up 0.0 %

NYSE:UNM traded up $0.04 on Monday, reaching $76.29. The stock had a trading volume of 1,030,718 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,043,344. 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 $46.64 and a 12-month high of $77.69. The company has a 50-day moving average of $74.23 and a 200 day moving average of $64.84. The stock has a market cap of $13.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 0.80.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be given a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.20%. Unum Group’s payout ratio is 18.18%.

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.