New York State Teachers Retirement System Cuts Position in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

New York State Teachers Retirement System lessened its stake in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) by 11.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 187,902 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 24,010 shares during the quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System owned 0.10% of Unum Group worth $13,722,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Barrett & Company Inc. raised its position in shares of Unum Group by 300.0% in the fourth quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 396 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 297 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in Unum Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its position in Unum Group by 38.2% during the third quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 702 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 194 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in Unum Group by 26.4% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 766 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the period. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. increased its position in shares of 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 valued at $58,000 after buying an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unum Group Trading Down 1.0 %

UNM stock traded down $0.72 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $74.07. 1,204,077 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,129,832. Unum Group has a 1-year low of $48.38 and a 1-year high of $79.43. The company has a current ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.53 billion, a PE ratio of 7.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.80. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $74.28 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $66.75.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.14 by ($0.11). Unum Group had a return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 13.81%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th were issued a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.27%. Unum Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 17.74%.

Unum Group declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, February 18th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to repurchase up to 7.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Unum Group from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. StockNews.com raised shares of Unum Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of Unum Group from $88.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on Unum Group from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $81.17.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Timothy Gerald Arnold sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.92, for a total transaction of $769,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 54,827 shares in the company, valued at $4,217,292.84. This trade represents a 15.43 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.93% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.