Shell Asset Management Co. Buys 2,197 Shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Shell Asset Management Co. lifted its position in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 15.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,513 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 2,197 shares during the quarter. Shell Asset Management Co.’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $886,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. CVA Family Office LLC bought a new stake in Unum Group in the fourth quarter valued at $49,000. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Unum Group by 10.1% during the fourth quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 68,435 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,095,000 after purchasing an additional 6,255 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 62.0% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 34,788 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,573,000 after purchasing an additional 13,318 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in Unum Group by 23.0% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 420,654 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $19,022,000 after purchasing an additional 78,596 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in Unum Group by 102.1% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,021 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $148,000 after purchasing an additional 1,526 shares in the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Unum Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UNM opened at $53.24 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $10.08 billion, a PE ratio of 7.91, a PEG ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $51.72 and its 200-day moving average price is $50.68. Unum Group has a twelve month low of $41.75 and a twelve month high of $54.66.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.12 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.97 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $3.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.20 billion. Unum Group had a return on equity of 16.02% and a net margin of 10.52%. Unum Group’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.87 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Unum Group will post 8.25 EPS for the current year.

Unum Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 16th. Investors of record on Friday, July 26th will be given a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 26th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.16%. This is a positive change from Unum Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.69%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNM has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $62.00 to $69.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Unum Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Unum Group from $64.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on Unum Group in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $57.00 price objective for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Unum Group from $58.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Unum Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $60.44.

Insider Transactions at Unum Group

In other Unum Group news, EVP Christopher W. Pyne sold 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.47, for a total transaction of $236,115.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 56,262 shares in the company, valued at $2,952,067.14. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Christopher W. Pyne sold 4,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.47, for a total transaction of $236,115.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 56,262 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,952,067.14. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Timothy F. Keaney sold 8,000 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.61, for a total value of $420,880.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 37,505 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,973,138.05. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.93% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Unum Group 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.