Unum Group $UNM Stock: Peak Financial Advisors LLC Boosts Holdings

Peak Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 31.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 35,833 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,586 shares during the period. Unum Group comprises 1.4% of Peak Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Peak Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $3,144,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of UNM. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unum Group in the third quarter worth $29,000. CX Institutional increased its holdings in Unum Group by 57.8% in the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 352 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares during the period. City State Bank acquired a new stake in Unum Group in the third quarter valued at $32,000. Ancora Advisors LLC bought a new position in Unum Group during the 2nd quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Trust Co. of Vermont bought a new position in Unum Group during the 2nd quarter worth $47,000. Institutional investors own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on UNM. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Unum Group from $117.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Unum Group from $87.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 24th. Atlantic Securities set a $88.00 price objective on Unum Group in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Wolfe Research cut their price objective on Unum Group from $102.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Unum Group from $101.00 to $98.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $99.42.

Insider Transactions at Unum Group

In related news, Director Timothy Keaney sold 4,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.02, for a total transaction of $404,286.00. Following the sale, the director owned 36,502 shares in the company, valued at $3,431,918.04. This represents a 10.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Walter Lynn Rice, Jr. sold 2,188 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.31, for a total value of $206,350.28. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 8,154 shares in the company, valued at approximately $769,003.74. The trade was a 21.16% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 10,488 shares of company stock valued at $988,396. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Trading Down 0.4%

UNM opened at $91.21 on Friday. Unum Group has a twelve month low of $69.02 and a twelve month high of $96.77. The company has a quick ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company has a fifty day moving average of $92.20 and a 200-day moving average of $83.95. The stock has a market cap of $14.44 billion, a PE ratio of 21.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.25.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The financial services provider reported $2.16 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.16. The business had revenue of $3.39 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.90 billion. Unum Group had a net margin of 5.26% and a return on equity of 12.60%. Unum Group’s quarterly revenue was up .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.92 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Unum Group will post 8.64 EPS for the current year.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 30th will be given a $0.5050 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 30th. This represents a $2.02 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.09%.

Unum Group declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase program on Wednesday, August 26th that allows the company to buy back $1 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to repurchase up to 7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Unum Group Profile

Unum Group is an insurance company that provides employee benefits and related protection products through employers, as well as selected individual policies. Its offerings are designed to help people manage the financial impact of illness, injury, death and other unexpected events.

The company’s products include short-term and long-term disability insurance, group and individual life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment coverage, and supplemental health benefits such as accident, critical illness and hospital indemnity insurance.