Xponance Inc. Buys 1,681 Shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Xponance Inc. increased its stake in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 8.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 22,591 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,681 shares during the quarter. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $1,650,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of UNM. Barrett & Company Inc. lifted its position in shares of Unum Group by 300.0% during the 4th quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 396 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 297 shares during the period. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Unum Group during the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Quarry LP increased its holdings in Unum Group by 4,794.7% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 930 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 911 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in Unum Group by 26.4% during the 4th 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. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Unum Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $58,000. Institutional investors own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Raymond James raised Unum Group from a “market perform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $108.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Unum Group from $90.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Unum Group from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Barclays lifted their target price on Unum Group from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $79.00 target price (up from $74.00) on shares of Unum Group in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $86.62.

Unum Group Price Performance

NYSE:UNM opened at $81.54 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.29. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $76.93 and its 200 day simple moving average is $70.36. The company has a market cap of $14.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.61, a P/E/G 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 released its 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, sell-side analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th were given a $0.42 dividend. 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 dividend payout ratio is currently 17.74%.

Unum Group declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, February 18th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to reacquire up to 7.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at Unum Group

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

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.