Capital Fund Management S.A. Takes $1.15 Million Position in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Capital Fund Management S.A. purchased a new position in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 15,788 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,153,000.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its stake in Unum Group by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 6,536 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $478,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in Unum Group by 26.4% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 766 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. boosted its stake in Unum Group by 28.8% during the fourth quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 800 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Unum Group by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 13,336 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $974,000 after buying an additional 189 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Unum Group by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 35,169 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,568,000 after acquiring an additional 202 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of UNM stock opened at $77.26 on Wednesday. Unum Group has a fifty-two week low of $48.38 and a fifty-two week high of $84.48. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $77.79 and a 200 day moving average price of $73.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.46. 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 results on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.14 by ($0.11). Unum Group had a return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 13.81%. Equities research analysts predict that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 25th will be given a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.17%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 25th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.74%.

Unum Group declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, February 18th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to repurchase up to 7.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNM has been the topic of several recent research reports. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on shares of Unum Group from $87.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. StockNews.com cut shares of Unum Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Unum Group from $75.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Unum Group from $97.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Raymond James raised Unum Group from a “market perform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $108.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $88.36.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.99, for a total transaction of $4,099,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 980,637 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $80,402,427.63. The trade was a 4.85 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.75, for a total transaction of $579,250.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 31,284 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,588,751. The trade was a 18.28 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

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.