Ritholtz Wealth Management Decreases Stock Position in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Ritholtz Wealth Management cut its holdings in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 11.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 44,566 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 6,013 shares during the quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $2,015,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BlackRock Inc. raised its stake in shares of Unum Group by 3.7% in the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 23,681,485 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $746,204,000 after purchasing an additional 836,407 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its stake in shares of Unum Group by 1.9% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 12,585,614 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $619,086,000 after purchasing an additional 236,136 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Unum Group in the fourth quarter worth about $426,463,000. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Unum Group by 2.4% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,106,074 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $241,749,000 after purchasing an additional 166,022 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Unum Group by 7.2% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,293,213 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $135,279,000 after purchasing an additional 288,209 shares during the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Unum Group

In other news, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 5,000 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $250,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 55,450 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,772,500. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 5,000 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $250,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 55,450 shares in the company, valued at $2,772,500. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.15, for a total value of $2,457,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,076,753 shares in the company, valued at approximately $52,922,409.95. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 81,000 shares of company stock valued at $4,018,100. Company insiders own 0.94% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Stock Performance

UNM stock traded down $0.04 during trading on Thursday, hitting $53.66. 1,235,367 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,486,249. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.27 and a quick ratio of 0.27. Unum Group has a 1 year low of $38.34 and a 1 year high of $53.97. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $49.35 and its 200 day simple moving average is $47.23. The company has a market cap of $10.28 billion, a PE ratio of 8.27, a P/E/G ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 0.86.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.79 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.86 by ($0.07). Unum Group had a net margin of 10.36% and a return on equity of 16.03%. The business had revenue of $3.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.14 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.43 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Unum Group will post 8.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 26th were issued a $0.365 dividend. This represents a $1.46 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 25th. Unum Group’s payout ratio is currently 22.50%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNM has been the subject of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Unum Group from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $55.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Unum Group from $61.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. StockNews.com upgraded Unum Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Unum Group from $47.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Unum Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $55.88.

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.