Sei Investments Co. Has $29.02 Million Stake in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Sei Investments Co. increased its stake in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 7.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 397,302 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 29,148 shares during the quarter. Sei Investments Co. owned about 0.22% of Unum Group worth $29,015,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. 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 valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 297 shares during the period. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Unum Group during the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in Unum Group during the fourth quarter worth about $45,000. Quarry LP increased its holdings in Unum Group by 4,794.7% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 930 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 911 shares during the period. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in shares of Unum Group by 26.4% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 766 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE UNM opened at $83.03 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $77.15 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $70.66. The stock has a market cap of $14.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.77, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 $84.48. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share 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, equities analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current year.

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

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The business 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 dividend yield of 2.02%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.74%.

Insider Activity at Unum Group

In other news, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $2,588,751. The trade was a 18.28 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the firm’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 value of $4,099,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 980,637 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $80,402,427.63. This represents a 4.85 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.93% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on UNM shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $81.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on Unum Group from $90.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on Unum Group from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Raymond James upgraded Unum Group from a “market perform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $108.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $79.00 target price (up previously from $74.00) on shares of Unum Group in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $86.62.

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.