Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Shares Acquired by First Trust Direct Indexing L.P.

First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. increased its position in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 4.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,168 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 261 shares during the period. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P.’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $279,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated bought a new position in shares of Unum Group in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Unum Group in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Neo Ivy Capital Management purchased a new position in Unum Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Unum Group during the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC acquired a new position in shares of Unum Group in the fourth quarter worth about $49,000. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Unum Group Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:UNM opened at $52.46 on Wednesday. Unum Group has a 52-week low of $41.75 and a 52-week high of $54.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.28. The company has a market cap of $9.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 0.87. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $51.68 and its 200-day moving average is $47.71.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.12 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.97 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $3.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.20 billion. Unum Group had a return on equity of 16.02% and a net margin of 10.52%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.87 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Unum Group will post 8.19 earnings per share for the current 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. This represents a $1.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 25th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.69%.

Insider Activity at Unum Group

In related news, CFO Steven Andrew Zabel sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.06, for a total transaction of $510,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 122,246 shares in the company, valued at $6,241,880.76. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other 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 transaction of $510,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 122,246 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,241,880.76. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, 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 stock was 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 81,000 shares of company stock worth $4,018,100. Company insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Unum Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Unum Group from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $57.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Unum Group from $47.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Unum Group from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $57.38.

Unum Group 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.