Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Holdings Raised by Victory Capital Management Inc.

Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 23.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,462,917 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 276,655 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $106,837,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 60.3% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 3,218 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $191,000 after purchasing an additional 1,211 shares in the last quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC boosted its holdings in Unum Group by 23.5% in the third quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 4,941 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $313,000 after purchasing an additional 940 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position in Unum Group by 40.0% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 108,076 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,855,000 after buying an additional 30,881 shares during the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its holdings in Unum Group by 24.0% during the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 226,478 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $13,462,000 after buying an additional 43,773 shares in the last quarter. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Unum Group by 2.8% in the third quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 13,147 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $781,000 after buying an additional 361 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Price Performance

Shares of UNM stock opened at $81.34 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $75.20 and a two-hundred day moving average of $68.18. 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 has a 12 month low of $48.38 and a 12 month high of $83.96. 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 (NYSE:UNM) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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, equities analysts expect that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current year.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th were given a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.07%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.74%.

Unum Group declared that its board has approved a stock 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 reacquire up to 7.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Raymond James raised Unum Group from a “market perform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $108.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on Unum Group from $90.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Jefferies Financial Group upped 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. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price target on Unum Group from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $86.62.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the firm’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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 980,637 shares in the company, valued at $80,402,427.63. This trade represents a 4.85 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.75, for a total value of $579,250.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 31,284 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,588,751. This trade represents a 18.28 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group 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.