Los Angeles Capital Management LLC Sells 1,541 Shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC decreased its position in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 16.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,680 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,541 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $561,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in UNM. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in Unum Group by 26.4% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 766 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 28.8% in the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 800 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 6,592 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $392,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Unum Group by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 35,169 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,568,000 after acquiring an additional 202 shares in the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNM has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Barclays upped their price objective on Unum Group from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Piper Sandler increased their price target on Unum Group from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. StockNews.com cut shares of Unum Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Unum Group from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Unum Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $84.83.

Unum Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNM opened at $81.29 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $74.93 and its 200-day simple moving average is $67.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.29. Unum Group has a one year low of $48.38 and a one year high of $83.96. The firm has a market cap of $14.84 billion, a PE ratio of 8.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.80.

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

Unum Group announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, February 18th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to buy up to 7.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th were paid a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.74%.

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.