Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Short Interest Up 27.5% in November

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) saw a significant growth in short interest during the month of November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,460,000 shares, a growth of 27.5% from the October 31st total of 1,930,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,290,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.9 days. Approximately 1.4% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Unum Group Price Performance

Shares of UNM traded down $0.55 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $76.35. 1,039,729 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,252,712. The stock has a market cap of $13.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.32, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.76. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $65.87 and a 200-day moving average of $57.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.28. Unum Group has a 52 week low of $42.09 and a 52 week high of $77.63.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $3.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.26 billion. Unum Group had a return on equity of 15.21% and a net margin of 13.76%. The firm’s revenue was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.94 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 8.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 25th were issued a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 25th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.20%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.18%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Unum Group from $65.00 to $63.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Unum Group from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Unum Group from $69.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Unum Group from $72.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of Unum Group to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $67.73.

Insider Activity at Unum Group

In other Unum Group news, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.16, for a total transaction of $320,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 58,741 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,768,822.56. This represents a 7.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 67,795 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.98, for a total transaction of $3,727,369.10. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,065,868 shares in the company, valued at $58,601,422.64. This represents a 5.98 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 165,709 shares of company stock valued at $10,956,914 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in UNM. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in shares of Unum Group by 361.5% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 503 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 394 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new stake in Unum Group in the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in Unum Group in the third quarter worth about $31,000. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Unum Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new position in shares of Unum Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Institutional investors own 86.57% 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.