Vest Financial LLC Increases Stake in Unum Group $UNM

Vest Financial LLC boosted its stake in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 653,527 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 33,807 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $50,831,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in UNM. Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc. raised its position in shares of Unum Group by 42.7% in the 2nd quarter. Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc. now owns 26,681 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,155,000 after acquiring an additional 7,981 shares in the last quarter. TrueMark Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Unum Group in the second quarter worth $5,063,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its stake in Unum Group by 53.5% in the third quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 69,128 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,376,000 after purchasing an additional 24,101 shares during the period. Strs Ohio raised its holdings in Unum Group by 12.2% in the second quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 44,360 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,583,000 after purchasing an additional 4,814 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Unum Group by 22.1% during the second quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 126,330 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $10,202,000 after buying an additional 22,863 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Unum Group

In other Unum Group news, CAO Walter Lynn Rice, Jr. sold 900 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.50, for a total value of $66,150.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 8,940 shares in the company, valued at approximately $657,090. This trade represents a 9.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Steven Andrew Zabel sold 7,500 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.38, for a total value of $572,850.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 113,807 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,692,578.66. The trade was a 6.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 12,400 shares of company stock valued at $951,160. Insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Unum Group in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Citigroup reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $98.00 to $104.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Unum Group from $96.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Unum Group from $94.00 to $92.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Unum Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $97.08.

Unum Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UNM opened at $76.59 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $12.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.93, a PEG ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 0.20. Unum Group has a twelve month low of $66.81 and a twelve month 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 company has a 50 day moving average of $77.06 and a 200 day moving average of $75.80.

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

Unum Group announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase 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 buy up to 8.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, January 30th will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 30th. Unum Group’s payout ratio is 35.87%.

Unum Group Company Profile

Unum Group (NYSE: UNM) is a leading provider of employee benefits in the United States and selected international markets, specializing in disability, life, accident and critical illness insurance. Through both fully insured and self-funded arrangements, the company offers group coverage designed to protect income and mitigate financial hardship for employees and their families. Its portfolio includes short-term and long-term disability plans, group life and accidental death & dismemberment (AD&D) policies, as well as critical illness and hospital indemnity products.

In addition to its core product lines, Unum Group markets voluntary benefits under its Colonial Life brand, allowing employees to purchase supplemental insurance such as accident, cancer, and dental coverage directly through payroll deductions.