Schroder Investment Management Group Lowers Position in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Schroder Investment Management Group decreased its holdings in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 19.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 271,514 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 65,328 shares during the quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group owned 0.15% of Unum Group worth $19,834,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Unum Group in the fourth quarter worth $1,003,918,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 8.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,497,586 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,496,939,000 after purchasing an additional 1,596,078 shares in the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its position in shares of Unum Group by 44.9% during 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 during the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 151.7% during the 3rd 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. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Unum Group by 23.3% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,462,917 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $106,837,000 after buying an additional 276,655 shares during the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNM has been the topic of several research reports. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Unum Group from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. 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 research note on Friday, February 28th. StockNews.com cut Unum Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Unum Group from $75.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Unum Group from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $87.86.

Insider Buying and Selling at Unum Group

In other Unum Group news, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 980,637 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $80,402,427.63. This trade represents a 4.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were 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 $2,588,751. The trade was a 18.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Trading Up 1.1 %

NYSE:UNM opened at $82.93 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $78.20 and a 200-day moving average price of $71.90. The stock has a market cap of $14.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a current ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Unum Group has a 12 month low of $48.38 and a 12 month high of $84.48.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.14 by ($0.11). Unum Group had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 14.91%. Equities analysts predict that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current year.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th were issued a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.03%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.74%.

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

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.