Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Shares Bought by Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc.

Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its holdings in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 54.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 786,168 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 276,466 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. owned about 0.43% of Unum Group worth $57,414,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Barrett & Company Inc. raised its position 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 worth $29,000 after buying an additional 297 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unum Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new position in Unum Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. increased its stake in Unum Group by 28.8% in 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 buying an additional 179 shares during the period. Finally, Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. acquired a new position in Unum Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $58,000. 86.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unum Group Trading Up 0.2%

UNM opened at $80.39 on Monday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $14.02 billion, a PE ratio of 8.49, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.38. Unum Group has a 1-year low of $48.38 and a 1-year high of $84.48. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $78.40 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $75.23.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.19 by ($0.15). The business had revenue of $3.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.34 billion. Unum Group had a return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 13.81%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.12 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Unum Group will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Tuesday, February 18th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to reacquire up to 7.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 16th. Investors of record on Friday, April 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 25th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 19.79%.

Insider Activity at Unum Group

In other news, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.99, for a total value 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 $80,402,427.63. This represents a 4.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 31,284 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,588,751. This trade represents a 18.28% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNM has been the topic of several analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of Unum Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Raymond James upgraded shares of Unum Group from a “market perform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $108.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Unum Group from $75.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $103.00 to $102.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $81.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $88.50.

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.