Silver Lake Advisory LLC Sells 3,230 Shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Silver Lake Advisory LLC decreased its stake in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 4.3% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 72,536 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 3,230 shares during the quarter. Unum Group accounts for approximately 2.3% of Silver Lake Advisory LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Silver Lake Advisory LLC’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $5,297,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its stake in Unum Group by 17.2% in the 2nd quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 17,473 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $917,000 after buying an additional 2,559 shares during the last quarter. Blair William & Co. IL bought a new position in shares of Unum Group in the second quarter valued at $210,000. AE Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Unum Group during the second quarter worth $236,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its position in Unum Group by 19.4% during the second quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 32,737 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,673,000 after acquiring an additional 5,326 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. lifted its stake in Unum Group by 9.5% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 413,350 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $21,127,000 after acquiring an additional 35,723 shares during the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unum Group Stock Performance

NYSE UNM opened at $75.54 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $73.86 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $63.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.28 and a quick ratio of 0.28. Unum Group has a 1 year low of $46.39 and a 1 year high of $77.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.79 billion, a PE ratio of 8.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.81.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $3.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.26 billion. Unum Group had a return on equity of 15.21% and a net margin of 13.76%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.94 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Unum Group will post 8.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th will be paid a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.22%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 24th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.18%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Unum Group

In other Unum Group news, EVP Christopher W. Pyne sold 3,250 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.02, for a total transaction of $227,565.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 50,762 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,554,355.24. This trade represents a 6.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.16, for a total transaction of $320,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 58,741 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,768,822.56. This trade represents a 7.84 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 107,914 shares of company stock worth $7,998,745 over the last three months. 0.93% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on UNM shares. UBS Group upgraded shares of Unum Group to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Evercore ISI upgraded 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 research note on Thursday, November 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $79.00 price target (up previously from $74.00) on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on shares of Unum Group from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $76.75.

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.