Grace & White Inc. NY Lowers Stock Holdings in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Grace & White Inc. NY lowered its position in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 1.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 520,456 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 5,300 shares during the period. Unum Group accounts for approximately 4.1% of Grace & White Inc. NY’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest holding. Grace & White Inc. NY owned approximately 0.27% of Unum Group worth $23,535,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated acquired a new stake in Unum Group during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Unum Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Bangor Savings Bank grew its position in Unum Group by 100.0% during the third quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 664 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 332 shares in the last quarter. Neo Ivy Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Unum Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Unum Group in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Institutional investors own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Trading Down 0.0 %

Shares of UNM stock traded down $0.02 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $51.78. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 819,232 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,410,785. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $51.10 and its 200-day simple moving average is $47.61. Unum Group has a 52 week low of $40.04 and a 52 week high of $54.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.27. The company has a market cap of $9.94 billion, a PE ratio of 7.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 0.87.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.79 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 period last year, the business posted $1.43 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Unum Group will post 8.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 26th will be paid a $0.365 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 25th. This represents a $1.46 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.82%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.50%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $250,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 55,450 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,772,500. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.15, for a total value of $2,457,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,076,753 shares in the company, valued at approximately $52,922,409.95. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $250,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 55,450 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,772,500. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 81,000 shares of company stock worth $4,018,100 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Unum Group 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.