Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Shares Acquired by Donald Smith & CO. Inc.

Donald Smith & CO. Inc. lifted its position in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 4.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,687,182 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 163,682 shares during the period. Unum Group comprises approximately 4.3% of Donald Smith & CO. Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest position. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. owned approximately 1.89% of Unum Group worth $166,734,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of UNM. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated purchased a new position in shares of Unum Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Unum Group during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Bangor Savings Bank increased its stake in Unum Group by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 664 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 332 shares during the period. Neo Ivy Capital Management purchased a new stake in Unum Group during the 3rd quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Unum Group in the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. 86.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on UNM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Unum Group from $47.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. StockNews.com raised shares of Unum Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $64.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. Two equities 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, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $56.38.

Unum Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UNM traded up $0.26 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $51.01. 1,422,131 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,390,710. Unum Group has a 12-month low of $40.04 and a 12-month high of $54.57. The company has a current ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The company has a market cap of $9.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.82, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.87. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $51.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $47.65.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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). The company had revenue of $3.15 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.14 billion. Unum Group had a net margin of 10.36% and a return on equity of 16.03%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.43 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 8.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.365 per share. This represents a $1.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.86%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 25th. Unum Group’s payout ratio is currently 22.50%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Unum Group

In other Unum Group news, CFO Steven Andrew Zabel sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.06, for a total value of $510,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 122,246 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,241,880.76. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, CFO Steven Andrew Zabel sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.06, for a total value of $510,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 122,246 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,241,880.76. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 5,000 shares of the firm’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 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. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 81,000 shares of company stock valued at $4,018,100. 0.93% of the stock is owned by company 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.