First Horizon Advisors Inc. Trims Stock Position in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

First Horizon Advisors Inc. trimmed its holdings in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 5.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 82,900 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 4,834 shares during the quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $6,054,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in Unum Group by 26.4% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 766 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. grew its position in Unum Group by 28.8% during the fourth quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 800 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its position in shares of Unum Group by 3.4% in the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 5,551 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $330,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group raised its position in Unum Group by 3.1% in the third quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 6,592 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $392,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the period. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Unum Group by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 35,169 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,568,000 after buying an additional 202 shares during the period. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unum Group Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE UNM opened at $74.07 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $13.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.80. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $74.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $66.95. 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 $79.43.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last posted its earnings results 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%. Equities research analysts expect that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th were paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. Unum Group’s payout ratio is currently 17.74%.

Unum Group announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, February 18th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to purchase up to 7.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on UNM shares. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Unum Group from $81.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $91.00 price target on the stock. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Unum Group from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note 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.com, Unum Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $81.17.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

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.