Mutual of America Capital Management LLC Sells 7,412 Shares of Unum Group $UNM

Mutual of America Capital Management LLC cut its stake in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 9.3% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 72,363 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 7,412 shares during the quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $5,628,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of UNM. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Unum Group during the second quarter worth about $30,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its position in Unum Group by 44.0% during the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 537 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 164 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted 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 acquiring an additional 528 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC grew its stake in shares of Unum Group by 36.2% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 587 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 2,350.0% in the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 588 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 564 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Unum Group from $96.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced 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 note on Tuesday, November 4th. Citigroup restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Unum Group in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Unum Group in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $115.00 target price on shares of Unum Group in a report on Monday, January 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $97.08.

Unum Group Stock Up 0.6%

Unum Group stock opened at $76.30 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.36 and a quick ratio of 0.36. The company’s 50-day moving average is $77.03 and its 200-day moving average is $75.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.77 billion, a PE ratio of 14.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.20. Unum Group has a fifty-two week low of $66.81 and a fifty-two week high of $84.48.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last issued 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 firm had revenue of $3.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.31 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.13 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Unum Group will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The firm 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 dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 30th. Unum Group’s payout ratio is currently 35.87%.

Unum Group declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Thursday, December 4th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the financial services provider to reacquire up to 8.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Unum Group news, EVP Steven Andrew Zabel sold 7,500 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.38, for a total transaction of $572,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Christopher W. Pyne sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.04, for a total transaction of $312,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 51,372 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,009,070.88. This represents a 7.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 12,400 shares of company stock valued at $951,160. 0.93% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.