American Century Companies Inc. Acquires 76,708 Shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 34.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 300,807 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 76,708 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned 0.16% of Unum Group worth $21,968,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in Unum Group by 50.0% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 469,342 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,554,000 after buying an additional 156,380 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in Unum Group by 44.1% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 16,495 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,205,000 after acquiring an additional 5,047 shares during the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Unum Group in the 3rd quarter worth $1,074,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Unum Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $8,816,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position 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 valued at $405,481,000 after purchasing an additional 51,744 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Unum Group

In related news, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 980,637 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $80,402,427.63. This trade represents a 4.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $2,588,751. This represents a 18.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Stock Down 2.4 %

Shares of UNM opened at $79.95 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $77.78 and a 200-day moving average price of $71.32. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $14.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.74. Unum Group has a 12-month low of $48.38 and a 12-month high of $84.48.

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

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

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th were issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.10%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. Unum Group’s payout ratio is 17.74%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on UNM shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Unum Group from $90.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $79.00 target price (up from $74.00) on shares of Unum Group in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. 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 report on Wednesday, March 5th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on shares of Unum Group from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Five 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Unum Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $86.62.

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.