156,868 Shares in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Acquired by Proficio Capital Partners LLC

Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 156,868 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $11,456,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Barrett & Company Inc. raised its position in Unum Group by 300.0% during the 4th quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 396 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Unum Group during the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in Unum Group by 26.4% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 766 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. raised its position in Unum Group by 28.8% during the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 800 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. bought a new stake in Unum Group during the 4th quarter valued at $58,000. 86.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Unum Group from $81.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Unum Group from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Unum Group from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $79.00 price target (up from $74.00) on shares of Unum Group in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Unum Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $86.62.

Unum Group Stock Up 2.4 %

Shares of UNM stock opened at $78.99 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.29 and a quick ratio of 0.28. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $76.08 and its 200 day moving average price is $69.45. The company has a market cap of $13.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.74. Unum Group has a 1-year low of $48.38 and a 1-year high of $83.96.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.14 by ($0.11). Unum Group had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 14.91%. On average, research analysts expect that Unum Group will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th were paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.13%. Unum Group’s payout ratio is presently 17.74%.

Unum Group declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, February 18th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the financial services provider to buy up to 7.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Unum Group

In other news, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.99, for a total value of $4,099,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 980,637 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $80,402,427.63. The trade was a 4.85 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.75, for a total value of $579,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,284 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,588,751. This trade represents a 18.28 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Company Profile

Unum Group, together with its subsidiaries, provides financial protection benefit solutions primarily in the United States, the United Kingdom, Poland, and internationally. It operates through Unum US, Unum International, Colonial Life, and Closed Block segment. The company offers group long-term and short-term disability, group life, and accidental death and dismemberment products; supplemental and voluntary products, such as individual disability, voluntary benefits, and dental and vision products; and accident, sickness, disability, life, and cancer and critical illness products.