Arnhold LLC Sells 3,992 Shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Arnhold LLC lessened its position in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 39.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,008 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 3,992 shares during the period. Arnhold LLC’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $272,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated acquired a new stake in Unum Group in the third quarter worth $25,000. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Unum Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Bangor Savings Bank grew its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 100.0% during the third quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 664 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. Neo Ivy Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Unum Group during the third quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Arlington Trust Co LLC acquired a new position in shares of Unum Group during the third quarter valued at about $38,000. Institutional investors own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on UNM. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $64.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective 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. StockNews.com raised shares of Unum Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of 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 raised their price target on shares of Unum Group from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Two 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, Unum Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $56.38.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Steven Andrew Zabel sold 10,000 shares of the business’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 value of $510,600.00. Following the sale, 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 5,000 shares of the business’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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 55,450 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,772,500. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Steven Andrew Zabel sold 10,000 shares of the business’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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 122,246 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,241,880.76. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 81,000 shares of company stock valued at $4,018,100 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Stock Performance

UNM stock traded down $0.32 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $50.69. The company had a trading volume of 1,462,433 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,389,633. The firm has a market cap of $9.73 billion, a PE ratio of 7.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.27. Unum Group has a 12 month low of $40.04 and a 12 month high of $54.57. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $51.38 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $47.66.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last announced 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). The company had revenue of $3.15 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.14 billion. Unum Group had a return on equity of 16.03% and a net margin of 10.36%. The business’s revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.43 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 8.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $1.46 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.88%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 25th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is 22.50%.

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.