Quest Partners LLC Sells 13,253 Shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Quest Partners LLC decreased its stake in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 24.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 41,467 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 13,253 shares during the quarter. Quest Partners LLC’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $2,465,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. ProShare Advisors LLC increased its position in Unum Group by 89.8% during the 2nd quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 1,207,756 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $61,728,000 after purchasing an additional 571,436 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Unum Group by 62.9% in the 2nd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,119,870 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $57,237,000 after buying an additional 432,240 shares during the last quarter. Neo Ivy Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of Unum Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $6,640,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its position in shares of Unum Group by 106.4% in the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 233,881 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $11,915,000 after buying an additional 120,559 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund grew its position in shares of Unum Group by 183.5% in the 2nd quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 170,100 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $8,694,000 after buying an additional 110,100 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Unum Group news, EVP Christopher W. Pyne sold 3,250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.02, for a total transaction of $227,565.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 50,762 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,554,355.24. This represents a 6.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.16, for a total transaction of $320,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 58,741 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,768,822.56. The trade was a 7.84 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 91,844 shares of company stock worth $5,411,032. Company insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNM has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group raised shares of Unum Group to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $54.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $69.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $72.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Unum Group from $65.00 to $63.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Unum Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $67.73.

Unum Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UNM opened at $73.19 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $61.92 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $55.95. Unum Group has a 12 month low of $41.86 and a 12 month high of $73.24. The stock has a market cap of $13.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.92, a PEG ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.76.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.03. Unum Group had a net margin of 13.76% and a return on equity of 15.21%. The firm had revenue of $3.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.26 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.94 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Unum Group will post 8.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Unum Group announced that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Tuesday, July 30th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to reacquire up to 10% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 25th were given a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 25th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.18%.

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.