Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Makes New Investment in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 800 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $36,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNM. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated acquired a new position in shares of Unum Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Unum Group in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Bangor Savings Bank lifted its stake in shares of Unum Group by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 664 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. Neo Ivy Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Unum Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Arlington Trust Co LLC acquired a new position in shares of Unum Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 55,450 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,772,500. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 55,450 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,772,500. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Steven Andrew Zabel sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.06, for a total value of $510,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 122,246 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,241,880.76. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 81,000 shares of company stock worth $4,018,100. 0.93% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Unum Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UNM opened at $50.75 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $51.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $47.65. 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 $40.04 and a 1-year high of $54.57. The company has a market cap of $9.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.87.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.79 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.86 by ($0.07). Unum Group had a return on equity of 16.03% and a net margin of 10.36%. The company had revenue of $3.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.14 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.43 EPS. Unum Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 8.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 26th will be issued 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 dividend yield of 2.88%. Unum Group’s payout ratio is currently 22.50%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Unum Group from $47.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Unum Group from $64.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. StockNews.com upgraded Unum Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Unum Group from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. Finally, 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 report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $56.38.

About Unum Group

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.