Naples Global Advisors LLC Acquires 203 Shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Naples Global Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 0.6% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 36,075 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 203 shares during the quarter. Naples Global Advisors LLC’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $2,635,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Unum Group by 1.0% during 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. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Unum Group by 5.9% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,186,262 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $70,511,000 after purchasing an additional 66,392 shares in the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Unum Group by 151.7% during the third quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 509,702 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,297,000 after buying an additional 307,175 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake 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 worth $29,554,000 after buying an additional 156,380 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in Unum Group by 24.5% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 325,796 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $19,365,000 after buying an additional 64,062 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNM has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded Unum Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Unum Group from $74.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Unum Group from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Unum Group from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $79.00 price target (up from $74.00) on shares of Unum Group in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $80.33.

Unum Group Stock Performance

UNM stock opened at $75.18 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $74.21 and its 200 day simple moving average is $65.87. The company has a current ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Unum Group has a 12-month low of $47.65 and a 12-month high of $79.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.73 billion, a PE ratio of 7.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.80.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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, research analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 9.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

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 issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.23%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 24th. Unum Group’s payout ratio is presently 17.74%.

Insider Transactions at Unum Group

In related news, Director Gloria C. Larson sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.50, for a total value of $745,000.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 121,491 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,051,079.50. This trade represents a 7.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.61, for a total transaction of $363,050.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 35,840 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,602,342.40. This represents a 12.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 83,865 shares of company stock worth $6,315,082 over the last three months. 0.93% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.