Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Shares Sold by Csenge Advisory Group

Csenge Advisory Group trimmed its stake in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 20.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,486 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,677 shares during the period. Csenge Advisory Group’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $474,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Barrett & Company Inc. boosted 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 acquiring an additional 297 shares in the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in Unum Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Quarry LP increased its position in Unum Group by 4,794.7% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 930 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $55,000 after buying an additional 911 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 26.4% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 766 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the period. Finally, Live Oak Investment Partners purchased a new stake in Unum Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $58,000. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unum Group Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:UNM opened at $73.98 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $74.19 and a 200-day simple moving average of $66.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.81, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.80. Unum Group has a 1 year low of $48.38 and a 1 year high of $79.43. 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 (NYSE:UNM) last released its quarterly earnings data 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%. Equities analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 9.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th were paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 17.74%.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on UNM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $79.00 price target (up from $74.00) on shares of Unum Group in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Unum Group from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Unum Group from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Evercore ISI upgraded Unum Group from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $67.00 to $84.00 in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on Unum Group from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $80.33.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Timothy Gerald Arnold sold 10,000 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.92, for a total transaction of $769,200.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 54,827 shares in the company, valued at $4,217,292.84. This trade represents a 15.43 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 58,865 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.39, for a total transaction of $4,437,832.35. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,007,003 shares in the company, valued at approximately $75,917,956.17. The trade was a 5.52 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 78,865 shares of company stock worth $5,952,032 over the last quarter. 0.93% of the stock is 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.