SG Americas Securities LLC Trims Stock Holdings in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

SG Americas Securities LLC cut its holdings in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 90.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,992 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 29,306 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $135,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in UNM. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Unum Group in the fourth quarter worth about $426,463,000. Royal Bank of Canada increased its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 401.2% in the 2nd quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,639,336 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $78,196,000 after acquiring an additional 1,312,286 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Unum Group by 63.6% during the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,504,307 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $102,752,000 after acquiring an additional 973,311 shares in the last quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. lifted its stake in Unum Group by 583.3% during the third quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 1,025,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $50,420,000 after purchasing an additional 875,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings in Unum Group by 79.8% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,952,763 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $88,616,000 after purchasing an additional 866,531 shares during the period. 86.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unum Group Price Performance

Shares of UNM opened at $50.16 on Thursday. Unum Group has a one year low of $40.04 and a one year high of $54.57. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $50.89 and its 200-day moving average is $47.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.87.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last released its earnings results 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). The company had revenue of $3.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.14 billion. Unum Group had a net margin of 10.36% and a return on equity of 16.03%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.43 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Unum Group will post 8.18 EPS for the current year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 26th will be given a $0.365 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 25th. This represents a $1.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.91%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.50%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on UNM. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Unum Group from $64.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Unum Group from $47.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. StockNews.com upgraded Unum Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Unum Group from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Unum Group from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $56.38.

Insider Buying and Selling at Unum Group

In other news, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 55,450 shares in the company, valued at $2,772,500. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, CFO Steven Andrew Zabel sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.06, for a total transaction of $510,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 122,246 shares in the company, valued at $6,241,880.76. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $250,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 55,450 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,772,500. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 81,000 shares of company stock valued at $4,018,100. 0.77% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.