Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Shares Bought by Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 0.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,552,252 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 51,744 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned about 3.04% of Unum Group worth $405,481,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Barrett & Company Inc. boosted its holdings in Unum Group by 300.0% during the fourth quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 396 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 297 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Unum Group in the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Unum Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in shares of Unum Group by 26.4% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 766 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. grew its position in shares of Unum Group by 28.8% during the 4th 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Stock Up 4.4 %

Shares of NYSE UNM opened at $81.34 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company has a 50-day moving average of $75.20 and a 200 day moving average of $68.18. The stock has a market cap of $14.85 billion, a PE ratio of 8.59, 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 $83.96.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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, sell-side analysts predict that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, February 18th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to buy up to 7.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th were issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.07%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.74%.

Insider Activity

In other Unum Group news, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.75, for a total transaction of $579,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,284 shares in the company, valued at $2,588,751. This trade represents a 18.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.99, for a total transaction of $4,099,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 980,637 shares in the company, valued at approximately $80,402,427.63. This represents a 4.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on UNM shares. Raymond James upgraded Unum Group from a “market perform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $108.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Unum Group from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $79.00 price target (up previously from $74.00) on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, 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 report on Thursday, February 6th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Unum Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $86.62.

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.