Capital Square LLC Invests $250,000 in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Capital Square LLC bought a new stake in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 3,327 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $250,000.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Unum Group by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 6,536 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $478,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in shares of Unum Group by 26.4% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 766 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the period. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. grew its position in Unum Group by 28.8% during the fourth quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 800 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Unum Group by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 13,336 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $974,000 after acquiring an additional 189 shares during the period. Finally, Belpointe Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Unum Group by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 9,151 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $668,000 after acquiring an additional 189 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Stock Performance

Unum Group stock opened at $75.85 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $77.76 and a 200-day moving average of $73.13. The company has a market capitalization of $13.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.46. Unum Group has a 1 year low of $48.38 and a 1 year high of $84.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.29 and a quick ratio of 0.28.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.14 by ($0.11). Unum Group had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 14.91%. On average, equities research analysts predict 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 share buyback program on Tuesday, February 18th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to purchase up to 7.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 16th. Investors of record on Friday, April 25th will be given a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.21%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 25th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.74%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of Unum Group 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 $80,402,427.63. The trade was a 4.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of the 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,284 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,588,751. This represents a 18.28 % 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

Several analysts have recently issued reports on UNM shares. Barclays increased their target price on Unum Group from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on shares of Unum Group from $103.00 to $102.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Unum Group from $81.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $75.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Raymond James upgraded Unum Group from a “market perform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $108.00 target price for the company 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $88.36.

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.