Boston Common Asset Management LLC Purchases 11,373 Shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Boston Common Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 19.6% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 69,278 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 11,373 shares during the quarter. Boston Common Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $5,059,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ritholtz Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 34,177 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,496,000 after purchasing an additional 637 shares during the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. boosted its holdings in Unum Group by 28.8% in the fourth quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 800 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. Oak Thistle LLC increased its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 362.9% during the fourth quarter. Oak Thistle LLC now owns 19,461 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,421,000 after acquiring an additional 15,257 shares in the last quarter. Friedenthal Financial purchased a new position in shares of Unum Group in the 4th quarter worth about $796,000. Finally, Wedmont Private Capital boosted its stake in Unum Group by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 11,199 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $804,000 after purchasing an additional 538 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Stock Up 1.0 %

Unum Group stock opened at $75.02 on Friday. Unum Group has a one year low of $45.23 and a one year high of $77.63. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $73.60 and a 200 day moving average of $62.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.28. The stock has a market cap of $13.70 billion, a PE ratio of 8.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.81.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $3.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.26 billion. Unum Group had a net margin of 13.76% and a return on equity of 15.21%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.94 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Unum Group will post 8.54 EPS for the current year.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 24th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.18%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Walter Lynn Rice, Jr. sold 1,500 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.56, for a total transaction of $104,340.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 8,361 shares in the company, valued at approximately $581,591.16. The trade was a 15.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Timothy Gerald Arnold sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.92, for a total value of $769,200.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 54,827 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,217,292.84. This represents a 15.43 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 107,914 shares of company stock valued at $7,998,745 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $79.00 price target (up previously from $74.00) on shares of Unum Group in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Unum Group from $74.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Evercore ISI raised Unum Group from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $67.00 to $84.00 in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, Truist Financial upped their price target on Unum Group from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Unum Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $75.45.

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.