Legal & General Group Plc Has $30.68 Million Stake in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Legal & General Group Plc trimmed its position in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 10.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 420,078 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 49,992 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $30,678,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Barrett & Company Inc. increased its position 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 during the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unum Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new position in Unum Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $45,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position 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 acquiring an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. lifted its stake in Unum Group by 28.8% in the fourth quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 800 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on UNM shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Unum Group from $97.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Unum Group from $81.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Unum Group from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. StockNews.com downgraded Unum Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on Unum Group from $75.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $88.36.

Insider Activity

In other Unum Group news, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,284 shares in the company, valued at $2,588,751. This represents a 18.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.99, for a total value of $4,099,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 980,637 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $80,402,427.63. The trade was a 4.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Stock Up 2.0 %

NYSE UNM opened at $75.28 on Friday. Unum Group has a twelve month low of $48.38 and a twelve month high of $84.48. The stock has a market cap of $13.31 billion, a PE ratio of 7.95, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.46. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $77.80 and a 200 day simple moving average of $72.85. 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 (NYSE:UNM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.14 by ($0.11). Unum Group had a return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 13.81%. On average, research analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 25th will be issued a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.23%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 25th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.74%.

Unum Group declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, February 18th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to purchase up to 7.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

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.