Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Stock Position Lessened by Teacher Retirement System of Texas

Teacher Retirement System of Texas decreased its holdings in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 0.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 196,256 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,066 shares during the quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas owned 0.11% of Unum Group worth $14,333,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Barrett & Company Inc. grew its stake 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 purchasing an additional 297 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Unum Group in the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Quarry LP grew its stake in shares of Unum Group by 4,794.7% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 930 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 911 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake 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 worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in Unum Group during the third quarter valued at about $58,000. Institutional investors own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.99, for a total transaction of $4,099,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 980,637 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $80,402,427.63. This trade represents a 4.85 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at 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 value of $579,250.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly 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. Company insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE UNM opened at $81.54 on Friday. Unum Group has a 12 month low of $48.38 and a 12 month high of $83.96. The company has a market cap of $14.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.61, a P/E/G 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 business has a fifty day simple moving average of $76.93 and a 200-day simple moving average of $70.25.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current year.

Unum Group announced that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, February 18th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to repurchase up to 7.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th were paid a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.06%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.74%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on UNM. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Unum Group from $81.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. StockNews.com cut Unum Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. BMO Capital Markets raised 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. Barclays raised their target price on Unum Group from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on Unum Group from $90.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $86.62.

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.