Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. Buys Shares of 7,490 Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 7,490 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $339,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 4.0% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 61,304 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,932,000 after purchasing an additional 2,370 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 33.2% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC now owns 15,247 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $480,000 after purchasing an additional 3,799 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. bought a new position in shares of Unum Group in the 1st quarter worth $348,000. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 61.5% in the 1st quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 76,618 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,422,000 after purchasing an additional 29,166 shares in the last quarter. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. bought a new position in shares of Unum Group in the 1st quarter worth $227,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Unum Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNM traded up $0.57 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $51.36. The company had a trading volume of 1,256,046 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,425,880. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $51.03 and its 200 day moving average price is $47.59. The company has a current ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The stock has a market cap of $9.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.87. Unum Group has a 52-week low of $40.04 and a 52-week high of $54.57.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.79 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.86 by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $3.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.14 billion. Unum Group had a return on equity of 16.03% and a net margin of 10.36%. Unum Group’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.43 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Unum Group will post 8.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 17th. Investors of record on Friday, April 26th will be issued a $0.365 dividend. This represents a $1.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 25th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.50%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $250,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 55,450 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,772,500. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the company’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 value of $2,457,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,076,753 shares in the company, valued at $52,922,409.95. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 5,000 shares of the company’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 value of $250,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly 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 ninety days, insiders have sold 81,000 shares of company stock valued at $4,018,100. 0.94% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Unum Group

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.