Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Shares Bought by Watershed Asset Management L.L.C.

Watershed Asset Management L.L.C. grew its position in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 32.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,672 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,639 shares during the period. Watershed Asset Management L.L.C.’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $302,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC grew its position in Unum Group by 3.9% in the third quarter. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC now owns 5,938 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $297,000 after acquiring an additional 223 shares during the period. Caprock Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 8,004 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $362,000 after purchasing an additional 230 shares during the period. United Services Automobile Association increased its position in shares of Unum Group by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. United Services Automobile Association now owns 12,530 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $616,000 after purchasing an additional 239 shares during the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA raised its holdings in Unum Group by 12.0% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 2,385 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $108,000 after buying an additional 255 shares during the period. Finally, Savant Capital LLC lifted its position in Unum Group by 3.5% in the third quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 7,927 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $390,000 after buying an additional 266 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $250,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 55,450 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,772,500. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Unum Group news, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.15, for a total transaction of $2,457,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,076,753 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $52,922,409.95. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $250,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 55,450 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,772,500. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 81,000 shares of company stock worth $4,018,100. 0.93% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Unum Group Stock Down 0.0 %

UNM traded down $0.02 on Tuesday, hitting $51.78. 819,232 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,410,785. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $51.10 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $47.61. The company has a current ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. Unum Group has a twelve month low of $40.04 and a twelve month high of $54.57. The company has a market cap of $9.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 0.87.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.86 by ($0.07). Unum Group had a return on equity of 16.03% and a net margin of 10.36%. The company had revenue of $3.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.14 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.43 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Unum Group will post 8.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 26th will be issued a $0.365 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 25th. This represents a $1.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.82%. Unum Group’s payout ratio is 22.50%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.