Farther Finance Advisors LLC Sells 621 Shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Farther Finance Advisors LLC cut its stake in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 19.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,597 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 621 shares during the quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $190,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barrett & Company Inc. raised its holdings in Unum Group by 300.0% in the 4th quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 396 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Unum Group in the 4th quarter worth $38,000. 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 purchasing an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. raised its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. bought a new position in shares of Unum Group in the 4th quarter worth about $58,000. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNM has been the subject of several research reports. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Unum Group from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $79.00 price target (up from $74.00) on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Unum Group from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target 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. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of Unum Group from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.62.

Unum Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UNM opened at $81.51 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $76.40 and its 200-day moving average price is $69.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company has a market cap of $14.41 billion, a PE ratio of 8.61, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.74. Unum Group has a 52-week low of $48.38 and a 52-week high of $83.96.

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, analysts anticipate that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current year.

Unum Group announced that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Tuesday, February 18th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to reacquire up to 7.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th were issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.06%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. Unum Group’s payout ratio 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.