Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Trims Stock Position in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lessened its stake in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 1.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 39,141 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 685 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $3,188,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of UNM. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new position in Unum Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. purchased a new position in Unum Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $58,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Unum Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $91,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda purchased a new position in Unum Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $102,000. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. grew its stake in Unum Group by 60.3% in the 1st quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 1,282 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $104,000 after buying an additional 482 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Trading Up 1.0%

NYSE:UNM opened at $80.47 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $79.71 and a 200 day moving average of $77.32. Unum Group has a 52 week low of $49.63 and a 52 week high of $84.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 0.43.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.19 by ($0.15). Unum Group had a net margin of 12.31% and a return on equity of 14.17%. The firm had revenue of $3.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.34 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.12 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Unum Group will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 16th. Investors of record on Friday, April 25th were issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 25th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.09%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 19.79%.

Insider Activity at Unum Group

In related news, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total transaction of $800,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 51,170 shares in the company, valued at $4,093,600. This represents a 16.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.92% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Unum Group from $81.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. UBS Group set a $89.00 price target on shares of Unum Group and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $103.00 to $102.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $87.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Unum Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $88.29.

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.