Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Shares Sold by Mackenzie Financial Corp

Mackenzie Financial Corp trimmed its stake in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 39.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,978 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 3,209 shares during the quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $225,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. CWM LLC raised its holdings in Unum Group by 65.3% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,592 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $226,000 after buying an additional 1,814 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 679.4% during the third quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 32,298 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,589,000 after acquiring an additional 28,154 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Unum Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,019,000. Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its stake in Unum Group by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 29,507 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,451,000 after purchasing an additional 1,200 shares during the period. Finally, Ballentine Partners LLC grew its position in Unum Group by 7.6% during the 3rd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 7,329 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $361,000 after purchasing an additional 517 shares in the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unum Group Stock Down 1.2 %

UNM stock opened at $50.75 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $9.74 billion, a PE ratio of 7.82, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.87. Unum Group has a 1 year low of $40.04 and a 1 year high of $54.57. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $51.34 and a 200 day simple moving average of $47.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.79 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.86 by ($0.07). Unum Group had a return on equity of 16.03% and a net margin of 10.36%. The company had revenue of $3.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.14 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.43 EPS. Unum Group’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Unum Group will post 8.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $1.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 25th. Unum Group’s payout ratio is 22.50%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNM has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Unum Group from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Unum Group from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. StockNews.com raised shares of Unum Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Unum Group from $64.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Unum Group from $47.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. Two equities research 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 presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $56.38.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The shares were 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $2,772,500. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.15, for a total transaction of $2,457,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,076,753 shares in the company, valued at approximately $52,922,409.95. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 81,000 shares of company stock valued at $4,018,100. Company insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

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.