Lake Street Advisors Group LLC Sells 366 Shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Lake Street Advisors Group LLC cut its holdings in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 8.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,131 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 366 shares during the quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $302,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Unum Group by 1.0% during 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 last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in Unum Group by 50.0% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 469,342 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,554,000 after buying an additional 156,380 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted 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 during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its holdings 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 valued at $6,647,000 after purchasing an additional 52,813 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Unum Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,074,000. 86.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Unum Group Trading Up 0.7 %

NYSE:UNM opened at $82.27 on Friday. Unum Group has a 12 month low of $48.38 and a 12 month high of $83.96. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $74.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $67.43. 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 $15.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.69, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.80.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share (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 research analysts anticipate that Unum Group will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current year.

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 buy up to 7.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th were given a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.04%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 17.74%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on UNM shares. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Unum Group from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $79.00 price objective (up previously from $74.00) on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of Unum Group from $90.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $83.92.

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.