Ethic Inc. Sells 7,905 Shares of Unum Group $UNM

Ethic Inc. lessened its position in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 25.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 23,660 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 7,905 shares during the quarter. Ethic Inc.’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $1,840,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Unum Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,113,353,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 7.0% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,341,589 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $271,862,000 after buying an additional 219,076 shares during the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its position in Unum Group by 11.5% during the second quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 1,537,189 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $124,143,000 after buying an additional 159,084 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in Unum Group by 3.6% during the second quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,482,096 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $119,235,000 after buying an additional 51,750 shares during the period. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased its holdings in Unum Group by 0.5% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,416,124 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $115,358,000 after buying an additional 6,648 shares during the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on UNM shares. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Unum Group from $92.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley set a $85.00 target price on Unum Group in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Unum Group from $100.00 to $98.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Monday. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded Unum Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Unum Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $94.91.

Insider Buying and Selling at Unum Group

In other Unum Group news, EVP Steven Andrew Zabel sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.38, for a total value of $572,850.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 113,807 shares in the company, valued at $8,692,578.66. The trade was a 6.18% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Christopher W. Pyne sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.04, for a total transaction of $312,160.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 51,372 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,009,070.88. This trade represents a 7.22% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 12,400 shares of company stock worth $951,160. Insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of UNM opened at $77.54 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $76.41 and its 200 day moving average is $76.00. The company has a current ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Unum Group has a 12-month low of $66.81 and a 12-month high of $84.48. The company has a market capitalization of $12.97 billion, a PE ratio of 15.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.20.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 3rd. The financial services provider reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.15 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $3.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.31 billion. Unum Group had a net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 13.09%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.13 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Unum Group will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Investors of record on Friday, October 24th were paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 24th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.87%.

Unum Group announced that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Thursday, December 4th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to buy up to 8.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Unum Group Profile

Unum Group (NYSE: UNM) is a leading provider of employee benefits in the United States and selected international markets, specializing in disability, life, accident and critical illness insurance. Through both fully insured and self-funded arrangements, the company offers group coverage designed to protect income and mitigate financial hardship for employees and their families. Its portfolio includes short-term and long-term disability plans, group life and accidental death & dismemberment (AD&D) policies, as well as critical illness and hospital indemnity products.

In addition to its core product lines, Unum Group markets voluntary benefits under its Colonial Life brand, allowing employees to purchase supplemental insurance such as accident, cancer, and dental coverage directly through payroll deductions.