Polianta Ltd Buys New Position in Unum Group $UNM

Polianta Ltd purchased a new position in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm purchased 19,900 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,547,000. Unum Group makes up 0.6% of Polianta Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Advisors Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Unum Group by 2.2% in the first quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 6,308 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $514,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. NDVR Inc. boosted its holdings in Unum Group by 3.3% in the 2nd quarter. NDVR Inc. now owns 4,526 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $366,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares during the period. Waterfront Wealth Inc. boosted its holdings in Unum Group by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Waterfront Wealth Inc. now owns 29,350 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,370,000 after purchasing an additional 158 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management grew its position in Unum Group by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 42,327 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,418,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Savant Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 46,440 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,750,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the period. 86.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Unum Group Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of UNM opened at $79.05 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market cap of $13.23 billion, a PE ratio of 15.41, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.20. Unum Group has a 1 year low of $66.81 and a 1 year high of $84.48. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $76.20 and a 200-day simple moving average of $76.03.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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). 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.31 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.13 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Investors of record on Friday, October 24th were given a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 24th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.87%.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNM has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $94.00 to $92.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Unum Group from $100.00 to $98.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Unum Group in a report on Monday. Wolfe Research raised Unum Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $85.00 price target on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $94.91.

Insider Activity at Unum Group

In other Unum Group news, EVP Steven Andrew Zabel sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.38, for a total value of $572,850.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 113,807 shares in the company, valued at $8,692,578.66. The trade was a 6.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Walter Lynn Rice, Jr. sold 900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.50, for a total transaction of $66,150.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 8,940 shares in the company, valued at $657,090. This represents a 9.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 12,400 shares of company stock valued at $951,160 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.92% 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.