Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Sees Large Decrease in Short Interest

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) saw a large decline in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,180,000 shares, a decline of 15.5% from the December 31st total of 2,580,000 shares. Approximately 1.2% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 1,310,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.7 days.

Insider Transactions at Unum Group

In related news, CAO Walter Lynn Rice, Jr. sold 1,500 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.56, for a total transaction of $104,340.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 8,361 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $581,591.16. This trade represents a 15.21 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Christopher W. Pyne sold 3,250 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owns 50,762 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,554,355.24. The trade was a 6.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 102,914 shares of company stock worth $7,677,945. 0.93% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Unum Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of UNM. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its stake in shares of Unum Group by 9.5% in the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 36,132 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,847,000 after purchasing an additional 3,143 shares during the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Unum Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,141,000. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund grew its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 183.5% in the second quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 170,100 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $8,694,000 after acquiring an additional 110,100 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Unum Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $513,000. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 15.5% in the third quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 49,807 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,961,000 after acquiring an additional 6,700 shares in the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unum Group Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:UNM traded down $0.76 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $76.25. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,311,611 shares, compared to its average volume of 940,952. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.25, a PEG ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.28. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $74.23 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $64.52. Unum Group has a fifty-two week low of $46.39 and a fifty-two week high of $77.69.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.03. Unum Group had a return on equity of 15.21% and a net margin of 13.76%. The business had revenue of $3.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.26 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.94 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 8.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be paid a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.20%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 24th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.18%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on UNM. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Unum Group from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Unum Group from $74.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Evercore ISI raised Unum Group from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $67.00 to $84.00 in a report on Thursday, November 14th. UBS Group raised Unum Group to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price objective on Unum Group from $54.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $79.00.

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.