IFP Advisors Inc Has $90,000 Stock Holdings in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

IFP Advisors Inc cut its position in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 49.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,234 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,194 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $90,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of 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 worth $326,950,000 after purchasing an additional 55,014 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in shares of Unum Group by 50.0% during 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 during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake 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 worth $1,205,000 after purchasing an additional 5,047 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its stake 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 worth $6,647,000 after purchasing an additional 52,813 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC acquired a new position in Unum Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,074,000. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Unum Group from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of Unum Group from $90.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $79.00 price target (up previously from $74.00) on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Unum Group from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Unum Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $86.62.

Insider Transactions at Unum Group

In other news, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.75, for a total transaction of $579,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 31,284 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,588,751. This represents a 18.28 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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 transaction of $4,099,500.00. Following the sale, 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.93% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Unum Group Stock Performance

NYSE UNM opened at $81.34 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company has a market capitalization of $14.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.80. Unum Group has a 12-month low of $48.38 and a 12-month high of $83.96. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $75.20 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $68.18.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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%. Analysts anticipate that Unum Group will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th were issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.07%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.74%.

Unum Group declared that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Tuesday, February 18th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the financial services provider to repurchase up to 7.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

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.