Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Purchases 3,554 Shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its position in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 8.5% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 45,267 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,554 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $3,306,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Barrett & Company Inc. increased its stake in Unum Group by 300.0% during the 4th quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 396 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Unum Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 26.4% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 766 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 28.8% during the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 800 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Unum Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $58,000. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $2,588,751. The trade was a 18.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 980,637 shares in the company, valued at $80,402,427.63. This represents a 4.85 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on UNM shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Unum Group from $81.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Unum Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Unum Group from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of Unum Group from $90.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Five equities research 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $86.62.

Unum Group Price Performance

NYSE UNM opened at $78.99 on Friday. Unum Group has a 12 month low of $48.38 and a 12 month high of $83.96. The stock has a market cap of $13.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.34, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.74. The company’s 50 day moving average is $76.08 and its two-hundred day moving average is $69.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last released 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%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Unum Group will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Unum Group announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, February 18th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to reacquire up to 7.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th were given a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.13%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. Unum Group’s payout ratio is currently 17.74%.

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.