Unum Group $UNM Shares Purchased by CWA Asset Management Group LLC

CWA Asset Management Group LLC boosted its position in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 9.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 87,218 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 7,725 shares during the period. CWA Asset Management Group LLC owned approximately 0.05% of Unum Group worth $6,784,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of UNM. Quintet Private Bank Europe S.A. acquired a new stake in Unum Group during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Unum Group during the second quarter valued at $30,000. Atwood & Palmer Inc. lifted its position in Unum Group by 100.0% during the second quarter. Atwood & Palmer Inc. now owns 400 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its holdings in Unum Group by 44.0% in the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 537 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its position in Unum Group by 1,123.4% during the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 575 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 528 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on UNM shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Unum Group in a report on Monday, December 29th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased 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. Wolfe Research upgraded Unum Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 16th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Unum Group in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on shares of Unum Group from $92.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $94.91.

Unum Group Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:UNM opened at $77.17 on Monday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $76.43 and its 200-day moving average price is $75.96. Unum Group has a 1 year low of $66.81 and a 1 year high of $84.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.36 and a quick ratio of 0.36.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 3rd. The financial services provider reported $2.09 earnings per share 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 analyst estimates of $3.31 billion. Unum Group had a return on equity of 13.09% and a net margin of 6.99%.The business’s revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.13 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

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

Unum Group announced that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Thursday, December 4th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to reacquire up to 8.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Walter Lynn Rice, Jr. sold 900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.50, for a total value of $66,150.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 8,940 shares in the company, valued at $657,090. This trade represents a 9.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Steven Andrew Zabel sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 19th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $8,692,578.66. The trade was a 6.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 12,400 shares of company stock worth $951,160. Insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Company 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.