Donald Smith & CO. Inc. Has $180.49 Million Holdings in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Donald Smith & CO. Inc. lessened its stake in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 15.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,471,417 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 449,593 shares during the quarter. Unum Group comprises about 4.3% of Donald Smith & CO. Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. Donald Smith & CO. Inc.’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $180,488,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in shares of Unum Group by 26.4% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 766 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the period. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. increased its position in Unum Group by 28.8% during the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 800 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 179 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Unum Group by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 13,336 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $974,000 after buying an additional 189 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 35,169 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,568,000 after buying an additional 202 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Naples Global Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Unum Group by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Naples Global Advisors LLC now owns 36,075 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,635,000 after acquiring an additional 203 shares in the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on UNM shares. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Unum Group from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Barclays boosted their price target on Unum Group from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com cut Unum Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $81.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Raymond James upgraded Unum Group from a “market perform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $108.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Unum Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $87.86.

Unum Group Trading Up 1.1 %

UNM stock opened at $82.93 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.29. Unum Group has a one year low of $48.38 and a one year high of $84.48. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $78.20 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $71.90. The company has a market capitalization of $14.66 billion, a PE ratio of 8.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.74.

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

Unum Group declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, February 18th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to repurchase up to 7.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th were paid a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.03%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 17.74%.

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.