FourThought Financial Partners LLC Makes New $341,000 Investment in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

FourThought Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm acquired 4,667 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $341,000.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Barrett & Company Inc. increased its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 297 shares during the period. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Unum Group during the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in Unum Group during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. 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 worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the period. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. increased its holdings in Unum Group by 28.8% during 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 during the period. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unum Group Stock Up 2.2 %

Unum Group stock opened at $76.43 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.29 and a quick ratio of 0.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.07, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.80. Unum Group has a 1-year low of $48.38 and a 1-year high of $79.43. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $74.38 and a 200-day moving average price of $67.26.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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%. Equities research analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th were given a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.20%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.74%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNM has been the topic of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $79.00 target price (up previously from $74.00) on shares of Unum Group in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Unum Group from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Unum Group from $81.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Truist Financial increased their target price on Unum Group from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their target price on Unum Group from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $81.17.

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.