Trexquant Investment LP Cuts Stake in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Trexquant Investment LP lessened its holdings in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 37.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 159,903 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 93,814 shares during the period. Trexquant Investment LP’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $11,678,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of UNM. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Unum Group by 8.4% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,497,586 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,496,939,000 after purchasing an additional 1,596,078 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Unum Group during the fourth quarter worth about $1,003,918,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Unum Group by 0.9% during 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. raised its holdings in 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 valued at $106,837,000 after acquiring an additional 276,655 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH lifted its stake in 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 worth $92,383,000 after acquiring an additional 392,191 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNM opened at $82.93 on Thursday. Unum Group has a one year low of $48.38 and a one year high of $84.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.76, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $78.20 and a 200-day simple moving average of $71.90. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share 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%. On average, analysts predict that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current year.

Unum Group declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Tuesday, February 18th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the financial services provider to reacquire up to 7.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders 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 2.03%. Unum Group’s payout ratio is currently 17.74%.

Insider Transactions at Unum Group

In other Unum Group news, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.75, for a total value of $579,250.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 31,284 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,588,751. The trade was a 18.28 % 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, 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 value of $4,099,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 980,637 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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. Company insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on UNM. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $75.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted 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. StockNews.com downgraded Unum Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Unum Group from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Raymond James upgraded shares of Unum Group from a “market perform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $108.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Unum Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $87.86.

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.