Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Purchases 20,456 Shares of Unum Group $UNM

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH boosted its position in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 31.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 86,392 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 20,456 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned approximately 0.05% of Unum Group worth $6,720,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Unum Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,113,353,000. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc lifted its stake in Unum Group by 762.9% in the second quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc now owns 712,206 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $57,518,000 after buying an additional 629,665 shares during the period. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new position in shares of Unum Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,601,000. Neuberger Berman Group LLC grew its position in shares of Unum Group by 66.4% during the 2nd quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 760,765 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $61,439,000 after buying an additional 303,500 shares during the period. Finally, Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Unum Group by 508.0% during the 2nd quarter. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC now owns 294,088 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $23,751,000 after buying an additional 245,718 shares during the period. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on UNM. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $98.00 to $104.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Unum Group in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley set a $85.00 target price on Unum Group in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price target on Unum Group from $96.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $97.08.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Christopher W. Pyne sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Steven Andrew Zabel sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.38, for a total transaction of $572,850.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 113,807 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,692,578.66. This trade represents a 6.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 12,400 shares of company stock worth $951,160 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Stock Performance

Shares of UNM opened at $76.12 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 0.20. Unum Group has a 52 week low of $66.81 and a 52 week high of $84.48. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $77.03 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $75.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.36.

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

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th will be paid a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 30th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 35.87%.

Unum Group announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Thursday, December 4th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to repurchase up to 8.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s management 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.