iSAM Funds UK Ltd Takes Position in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

iSAM Funds UK Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 3,404 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $249,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Barrett & Company Inc. grew its stake in Unum Group by 300.0% in the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Unum Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new position in Unum Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $45,000. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. purchased a new position in Unum Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $58,000. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its stake in Unum Group by 36.5% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 958 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UNM opened at $81.99 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.29. Unum Group has a fifty-two week low of $48.38 and a fifty-two week high of $84.48. The company has a market cap of $14.30 billion, a PE ratio of 8.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.38. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $78.75 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $76.03.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.19 by ($0.15). Unum Group had a return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 13.81%. The firm had revenue of $3.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.34 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.12 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect 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, May 16th. Investors of record on Friday, April 25th were issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.05%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 25th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.79%.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Unum Group from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. UBS Group lifted their target price on Unum Group from $75.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Unum Group from $81.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Unum Group from $76.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price target on Unum Group from $87.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $88.43.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 10,000 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total transaction of $800,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 51,170 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,093,600. This trade represents a 16.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.75, for a total value of $579,250.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 31,284 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,588,751. This represents a 18.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 67,000 shares of company stock valued at $5,478,750 over the last quarter. 0.92% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Unum Group 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.