iSAM Funds UK Ltd Invests $2.85 Million in Unum Group $UNM

iSAM Funds UK Ltd bought a new position in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 35,330 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,853,000. Unum Group makes up about 0.6% of iSAM Funds UK Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of UNM. Norges Bank bought a new position in Unum Group in the second quarter worth approximately $1,113,353,000. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Unum Group by 7.0% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,341,589 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $271,862,000 after acquiring an additional 219,076 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in Unum Group by 155.6% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,278,473 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $185,604,000 after purchasing an additional 1,387,139 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its position in Unum Group by 11.5% during the 2nd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 1,537,189 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $124,143,000 after purchasing an additional 159,084 shares during the period. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 3.6% in the 2nd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,482,096 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $119,235,000 after purchasing an additional 51,750 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNM has been the topic of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $94.00 to $92.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Unum Group from $100.00 to $98.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Barclays lifted their target price on Unum Group from $92.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Wolfe Research raised shares of Unum Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Unum Group from $79.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $94.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at Unum Group

In other Unum Group news, EVP Steven Andrew Zabel sold 7,500 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.38, for a total value of $572,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 113,807 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,692,578.66. The trade was a 6.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Christopher W. Pyne sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.04, for a total transaction of $312,160.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 51,372 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,009,070.88. The trade was a 7.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Trading Down 2.0%

Shares of NYSE:UNM opened at $72.78 on Tuesday. Unum Group has a 52-week low of $66.81 and a 52-week high of $84.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market cap of $12.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.19, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.20. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $76.10 and a 200-day moving average price of $76.28.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The financial services provider reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.15 by ($0.06). Unum Group had a return on equity of 13.09% and a net margin of 6.99%.The company had revenue of $3.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.31 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.13 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current year.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Investors of record on Friday, October 24th were paid a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 24th. Unum Group’s payout ratio is currently 35.87%.

Unum Group declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, December 4th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to reacquire up to 8.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

About Unum Group

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.