IFG Advisory LLC Purchases 20,475 Shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

IFG Advisory LLC lifted its position in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 21.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 114,443 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 20,475 shares during the quarter. IFG Advisory LLC owned 0.06% of Unum Group worth $5,175,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 4.0% during the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 61,304 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,932,000 after acquiring an additional 2,370 shares during the period. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC increased its stake in Unum Group by 33.2% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC now owns 15,247 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $480,000 after buying an additional 3,799 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. acquired a new stake in Unum Group in the 1st quarter valued at $348,000. Bank of Montreal Can increased its stake in Unum Group by 61.5% in the 1st quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 76,618 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,422,000 after buying an additional 29,166 shares during the last quarter. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. acquired a new stake in Unum Group in the 1st quarter valued at $227,000. 86.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Insider Transactions at Unum Group

In other news, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $250,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now 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 is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.15, for a total value of $2,457,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,076,753 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $52,922,409.95. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $250,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 55,450 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,772,500. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders 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

Shares of NYSE:UNM opened at $53.66 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $49.35 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $47.23. Unum Group has a 12-month low of $38.34 and a 12-month high of $53.82. The firm has a market cap of $10.28 billion, a PE ratio of 8.27, a PEG ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.86 by ($0.07). Unum Group had a return on equity of 16.03% and a net margin of 10.36%. The firm had revenue of $3.15 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.14 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.43 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Unum Group will post 8.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 26th were issued a dividend of $0.365 per share. This represents a $1.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 25th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.50%.

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.