Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Holdings Lifted by SummerHaven Investment Management LLC

SummerHaven Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 1.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,373 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 251 shares during the period. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $695,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated purchased a new stake in shares of Unum Group in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Unum Group during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Bangor Savings Bank grew its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 664 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 332 shares in the last quarter. Neo Ivy Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Unum Group in the third quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Unum Group in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unum Group Stock Performance

NYSE:UNM opened at $51.01 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.79 billion, a PE ratio of 7.86, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a current ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. Unum Group has a 1 year low of $40.04 and a 1 year high of $54.57. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $51.38 and its 200 day simple moving average is $47.66.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.79 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.86 by ($0.07). Unum Group had a return on equity of 16.03% and a net margin of 10.36%. The business had revenue of $3.15 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.14 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.43 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Unum Group will post 8.18 EPS for the current year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 26th will be given a $0.365 dividend. This represents a $1.46 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 25th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.50%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on UNM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Unum Group from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $64.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Unum Group from $47.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Unum Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $56.38.

Insider Transactions at Unum Group

In other news, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $250,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 55,450 shares in the company, valued at $2,772,500. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $250,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 55,450 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,772,500. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Steven Andrew Zabel sold 10,000 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.06, for a total value of $510,600.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 122,246 shares in the company, valued at $6,241,880.76. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 81,000 shares of company stock worth $4,018,100 over the last three months. 0.93% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.