Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Shares Sold by United Services Automobile Association

United Services Automobile Association reduced its holdings in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 4.1% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 10,707 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 463 shares during the period. United Services Automobile Association’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $782,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Unum Group by 8.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,497,586 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,496,939,000 after purchasing an additional 1,596,078 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Unum Group by 0.9% in the fourth 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 period. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Unum Group by 23.3% in the fourth 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 period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its stake in shares of Unum Group by 44.9% in the fourth quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 1,264,994 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $92,383,000 after buying an additional 392,191 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $30,297,000 after buying an additional 307,175 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UNM opened at $83.31 on Tuesday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $14.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.74. Unum Group has a twelve month low of $48.38 and a twelve month high of $83.96. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $77.15 and a 200-day simple moving average of $70.66.

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 return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 13.81%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Unum Group will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors 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 2.02%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.74%.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNM has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Unum Group from $81.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Raymond James raised shares of Unum Group from a “market perform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $108.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Unum Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Unum Group from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.62.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.99, for a total transaction of $4,099,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 980,637 shares in the company, valued at approximately $80,402,427.63. This represents a 4.85 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of the business’s 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 $2,588,751. This represents a 18.28 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.93% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Unum Group

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.