Erste Asset Management GmbH Invests $516,000 in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Erste Asset Management GmbH acquired a new position in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 8,800 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $516,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new stake in Unum Group during the second quarter worth about $26,000. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Unum Group during the second quarter worth about $29,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in Unum Group during the third quarter worth about $31,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new stake in Unum Group during the third quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Innealta Capital LLC bought a new stake in Unum Group during the second quarter worth about $40,000. Institutional investors own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Barclays upped their target price on Unum Group from $72.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Evercore ISI upgraded Unum Group from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $67.00 to $84.00 in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Bank of America upped their price objective on Unum Group from $54.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Unum Group from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Unum Group from $65.00 to $63.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $67.73.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Unum Group news, EVP Christopher W. Pyne sold 3,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.02, for a total value of $227,565.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 50,762 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,554,355.24. This trade represents a 6.02 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Timothy Gerald Arnold sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.92, for a total value of $769,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 54,827 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,217,292.84. This represents a 15.43 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 107,914 shares of company stock valued at $7,998,745 over the last 90 days. 0.93% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Unum Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UNM opened at $75.67 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $13.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a current ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Unum Group has a 1-year low of $42.09 and a 1-year high of $77.63. The business’s 50 day moving average is $66.97 and its 200-day moving average is $58.01.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $3.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.26 billion. Unum Group had a return on equity of 15.21% and a net margin of 13.76%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.94 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Unum Group will post 8.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Friday, October 25th were given a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 25th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.18%.

About Unum Group

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.