Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Buys 4,910 Shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its holdings in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 13.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 42,479 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,910 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $1,921,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its stake in Unum Group by 79.8% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,952,763 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $88,616,000 after purchasing an additional 866,531 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in Unum Group by 14.9% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 222,878 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $10,963,000 after purchasing an additional 28,898 shares during the last quarter. Boone Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Unum Group by 1.2% during the third quarter. Boone Capital Management LLC now owns 867,565 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $42,676,000 after purchasing an additional 10,000 shares during the last quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky lifted its stake in Unum Group by 91.9% during the third quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 63,810 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,138,000 after purchasing an additional 30,555 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in Unum Group by 154.5% during the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 50,915 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,302,000 after purchasing an additional 30,908 shares during the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Unum Group

In other news, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 5,000 shares of the 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 55,450 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,772,500. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CFO Steven Andrew Zabel sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.06, for a total value of $510,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 122,246 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,241,880.76. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 5,000 shares of the firm’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 directly owns 55,450 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,772,500. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 81,000 shares of company stock valued at $4,018,100 in the last 90 days. 0.93% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Unum Group Price Performance

UNM stock opened at $51.97 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.97 billion, a PE ratio of 8.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.87. The company’s 50-day moving average is $51.17 and its 200-day moving average is $47.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.27 and a quick ratio of 0.27. Unum Group has a 1 year low of $40.04 and a 1 year high of $54.57.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.86 by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $3.15 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.14 billion. Unum Group had a return on equity of 16.03% and a net margin of 10.36%. Unum Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.43 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Unum Group will post 8.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 26th will be given a dividend of $0.365 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 25th. This represents a $1.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.81%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.50%.

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.