Jump Financial LLC Invests $1.61 Million in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Jump Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 22,025 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,608,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNM. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 156,380 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of Unum Group by 44.1% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 16,495 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,205,000 after buying an additional 5,047 shares during the last quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management bought a new stake in Unum Group in the 4th quarter worth about $8,816,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Unum Group by 0.9% in the 4th 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 last quarter. Finally, Oak Thistle LLC lifted its stake in Unum Group by 362.9% during the 4th quarter. Oak Thistle LLC now owns 19,461 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,421,000 after acquiring an additional 15,257 shares during the period. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Unum Group

In other Unum Group news, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.75, for a total transaction of $579,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 31,284 shares in the company, valued at $2,588,751. This trade represents a 18.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.99, for a total value of $4,099,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 980,637 shares in the company, valued at $80,402,427.63. This trade represents a 4.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.93% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Unum Group Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of UNM stock opened at $75.85 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $13.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.01, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.29 and a quick ratio of 0.28. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $77.76 and its 200-day moving average price is $73.45. Unum Group has a one year low of $48.38 and a one year high of $84.48.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.14 by ($0.11). Unum Group had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 14.91%. Sell-side analysts expect that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Tuesday, February 18th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the financial services provider to purchase up to 7.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 25th will be issued a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 25th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.74%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on UNM shares. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Unum Group from $75.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. StockNews.com lowered shares of Unum Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Unum Group from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Barclays upped their price objective on Unum Group from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Unum Group from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $88.36.

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.