Forbes J M & Co. LLP Purchases Shares of 5,320 Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Forbes J M & Co. LLP acquired a new position in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 5,320 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $389,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of UNM. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,500,508 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $326,950,000 after buying an additional 55,014 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in Unum Group by 50.0% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 469,342 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,554,000 after acquiring an additional 156,380 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its stake in shares of Unum Group by 89.5% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 111,831 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,647,000 after purchasing an additional 52,813 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 44.1% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 16,495 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,205,000 after purchasing an additional 5,047 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Unum Group during the third quarter worth $1,074,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Unum Group news, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 58,865 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.39, for a total transaction of $4,437,832.35. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,007,003 shares in the company, valued at $75,917,956.17. This trade represents a 5.52 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Hanley Ronald P. O sold 14,299 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.10, for a total transaction of $1,030,957.90. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 38,819 shares in the company, valued at $2,798,849.90. This trade represents a 26.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 98,164 shares of company stock valued at $7,346,040 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Price Performance

Unum Group stock opened at $76.97 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $74.23 and a 200-day simple moving average of $65.16. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.13, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.80. Unum Group has a 52-week low of $46.64 and a 52-week high of $79.43.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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, equities analysts anticipate that Unum Group will post 9.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be given a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.18%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.74%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNM has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on Unum Group in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $91.00 price objective on the stock. Truist Financial upped their target price on Unum Group from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of Unum Group from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $79.45.

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.