Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS Sells 571 Shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS lowered its stake in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 1.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 37,104 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 571 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $2,710,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 160 shares during the period. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. lifted its stake in Unum Group by 28.8% in the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 800 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Unum Group by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 13,336 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $974,000 after purchasing an additional 189 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group grew its position in shares of Unum Group by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 6,592 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $392,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 0.6% in 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 purchasing an additional 202 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Stock Up 2.4 %

Shares of NYSE UNM opened at $83.31 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $14.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.80, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $77.15 and its 200 day moving average is $70.66. Unum Group has a 52 week low of $48.38 and a 52 week high of $83.96.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.14 by ($0.11). Unum Group had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 14.91%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Unum Group will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th were paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.02%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.74%.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on UNM. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Unum Group from $81.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. 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 report on Tuesday, December 10th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Unum Group from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $79.00 price target (up previously from $74.00) on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Raymond James upgraded Unum Group from a “market perform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $108.00 price objective for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Unum Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $86.62.

Insider Activity at Unum Group

In related news, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 980,637 shares in the company, valued at $80,402,427.63. The trade was a 4.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.75, for a total transaction of $579,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 31,284 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,588,751. This trade represents a 18.28 % 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.

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.