Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Shares Sold by D.A. Davidson & CO.

D.A. Davidson & CO. lessened its holdings in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 6.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 19,673 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,253 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO.’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $1,437,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Truist Financial Corp raised its stake in shares of Unum Group by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 351,465 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,667,000 after buying an additional 2,492 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its stake in shares of Unum Group by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 5,838 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $426,000 after buying an additional 287 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. raised its stake in shares of Unum Group by 27.7% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,553 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $113,000 after buying an additional 337 shares in the last quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Unum Group in the 4th quarter worth $249,000. Finally, Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV raised its stake in shares of Unum Group by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 39,231 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,865,000 after buying an additional 1,198 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Stock Down 1.0 %

NYSE:UNM opened at $74.07 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.82, a PEG ratio of 1.14 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 current ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $74.28 and its 200 day moving average price is $66.85.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share 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%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase 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 reacquire up to 7.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Unum Group

In other Unum Group news, EVP Timothy Gerald Arnold sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.92, for a total value of $769,200.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 54,827 shares in the company, valued at $4,217,292.84. The trade was a 15.43 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNM has been the topic of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Unum Group from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on Unum Group from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays boosted their target price on Unum Group from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Evercore ISI raised Unum Group from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $67.00 to $84.00 in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets began coverage on Unum Group in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $91.00 target price on the stock. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $81.17.

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.