Kendall Capital Management Has $3.11 Million Position in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Kendall Capital Management reduced its holdings in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 2.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 42,535 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,105 shares during the period. Kendall Capital Management’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $3,106,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in UNM. Barrett & Company Inc. boosted its position in shares of Unum Group by 300.0% during the 4th quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 396 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 297 shares in the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Unum Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Unum Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Quarry LP boosted its position in shares of Unum Group by 4,794.7% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 930 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 911 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in shares of Unum Group by 26.4% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 766 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unum Group Price Performance

Shares of UNM stock opened at $79.05 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.35, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.74. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $75.59 and its 200-day moving average is $68.52. Unum Group has a 1 year low of $48.38 and a 1 year high of $83.96.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.14 by ($0.11). Unum Group had a return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 13.81%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, February 18th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to reacquire up to 7.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th were paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.13%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.74%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Unum Group news, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.99, for a total value of $4,099,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 980,637 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $80,402,427.63. This represents a 4.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.75, for a total transaction of $579,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,284 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,588,751. The trade was a 18.28 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.93% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Unum Group from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Unum Group from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of Unum Group from $90.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Raymond James upgraded shares of Unum Group from a “market perform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $108.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Unum Group from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.62.

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.