Keynote Financial Services LLC Purchases Shares of 19,780 Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Keynote Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 19,780 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,061,000.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unum Group in the 1st quarter worth $28,000. MCF Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Unum Group in the 1st quarter valued at $35,000. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Unum Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Rise Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Unum Group by 93.8% during the first quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 814 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 394 shares during the period. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Unum Group by 363.7% during the first quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 946 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 742 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Unum Group from $64.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Unum Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Unum Group from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Unum Group from $64.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Unum Group from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 26th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $61.44.

Insider Activity at Unum Group

In other news, EVP Christopher W. Pyne sold 4,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.47, for a total transaction of $236,115.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 56,262 shares in the company, valued at $2,952,067.14. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Christopher W. Pyne sold 4,500 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.47, for a total transaction of $236,115.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 56,262 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,952,067.14. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Timothy F. Keaney sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.61, for a total value of $420,880.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 37,505 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,973,138.05. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Stock Performance

Unum Group stock traded down $2.66 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $53.90. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,014,488 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,317,370. The firm has a market cap of $10.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.01, a PEG ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.81. Unum Group has a twelve month low of $41.75 and a twelve month high of $58.17. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $51.98 and a 200-day moving average price of $51.03. The company has a current ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.16 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.02 by $0.14. Unum Group had a net margin of 10.40% and a return on equity of 15.55%. The business had revenue of $3.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.23 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.06 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Unum Group will post 8.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 16th. Investors of record on Friday, July 26th will be issued a $0.42 dividend. This is an increase from Unum Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 26th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.12%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 24.96%.

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.