Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Holdings Raised by Venturi Wealth Management LLC

Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 30.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,206 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 278 shares during the quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $88,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Barrett & Company Inc. boosted its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 297 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in Unum Group during the third quarter valued at $31,000. Quarry LP grew its stake in Unum Group by 4,794.7% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 930 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 911 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in Unum Group by 26.4% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 766 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Live Oak Investment Partners bought a new stake in shares of Unum Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $58,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Unum Group

In other Unum Group news, EVP Timothy Gerald Arnold sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.92, for a total value of $769,200.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 54,827 shares in the company, valued at $4,217,292.84. This represents a 15.43 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.93% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNM has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of Unum Group in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $91.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Unum Group from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on Unum Group from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Unum Group from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Unum Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $81.17.

Unum Group Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of UNM opened at $74.07 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $74.28 and its 200 day moving average price is $66.95. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.80. Unum Group has a 12-month low of $48.38 and a 12-month high of $79.43.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.14 by ($0.11). Unum Group had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 14.91%. As a group, 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 initiated a share repurchase program on Tuesday, February 18th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to buy up to 7.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.27%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.