Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Shares Bought by QRG Capital Management Inc.

QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 13,336 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 189 shares during the quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $974,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of UNM. Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its stake in shares of Unum Group by 44.9% in the 4th quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 1,264,994 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $92,383,000 after purchasing an additional 392,191 shares in the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Unum Group by 151.7% in the third quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 509,702 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,297,000 after buying an additional 307,175 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unum Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $11,456,000. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of Unum Group by 50.0% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 469,342 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,554,000 after buying an additional 156,380 shares during the period. Finally, Algert Global LLC lifted its position in shares of Unum Group by 69.5% during the 3rd quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 236,264 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $14,044,000 after buying an additional 96,916 shares in the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on UNM. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of Unum Group from $90.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Unum Group from $81.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Unum Group from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised Unum Group from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the company from $67.00 to $84.00 in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $84.83.

Unum Group Price Performance

NYSE:UNM opened at $81.29 on Tuesday. Unum Group has a one year low of $48.38 and a one year high of $83.96. The stock has a market cap of $14.84 billion, a PE ratio of 8.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.29. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $74.93 and a 200 day moving average price of $67.83.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 expect that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th were paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.74%.

Unum Group announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, February 18th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to reacquire up to 7.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is 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.