Natixis Advisors LLC Increases Holdings in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Natixis Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 4.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 29,957 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,162 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $2,188,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Unum Group by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,552,252 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $405,481,000 after buying an additional 51,744 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Unum Group by 23.3% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,462,917 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $106,837,000 after buying an additional 276,655 shares during the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH lifted its holdings in Unum Group by 44.9% during the 4th quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 1,264,994 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $92,383,000 after buying an additional 392,191 shares during the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Unum Group by 151.7% during the 3rd quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 509,702 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $30,297,000 after buying an additional 307,175 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in Unum Group by 50.0% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 469,342 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,554,000 after buying an additional 156,380 shares during the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNM has been the subject of several research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on Unum Group from $90.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Unum Group from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Unum Group from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Unum Group from $81.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their target price on Unum Group from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Unum Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $86.62.

Unum Group Stock Performance

NYSE UNM opened at $81.54 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The business’s 50 day moving average is $76.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $70.46. Unum Group has a 12-month low of $48.38 and a 12-month high of $83.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.61, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.74.

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

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th were given a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.06%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. Unum Group’s payout ratio is 17.74%.

Unum Group announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, February 18th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the financial services provider to reacquire up to 7.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.75, for a total value of $579,250.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 31,284 shares in the company, valued at $2,588,751. This represents a 18.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 980,637 shares in the company, valued at approximately $80,402,427.63. This represents a 4.85 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 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.