Strs Ohio Acquires 8,244 Shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Strs Ohio raised its holdings in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 21.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 46,870 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,244 shares during the quarter. Strs Ohio’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $2,119,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. lifted its holdings in Unum Group by 499.8% during the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 44,384 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,007,000 after buying an additional 36,984 shares in the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new stake in shares of Unum Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,329,000. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 40.7% in the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 21,924 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $991,000 after purchasing an additional 6,338 shares during the period. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY bought a new position in Unum Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,809,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Unum Group by 28.9% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 4,889 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $221,000 after purchasing an additional 1,096 shares during the period. 86.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 5,000 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $2,772,500. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 55,450 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,772,500. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 16,000 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $800,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 40,840 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,042,000. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 81,000 shares of company stock worth $4,018,100 over the last 90 days. 0.94% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Unum Group Trading Up 1.1 %

NYSE:UNM opened at $51.36 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.91, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.87. Unum Group has a 52 week low of $40.04 and a 52 week high of $54.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $51.03 and a 200 day moving average of $47.59.

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

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on UNM. StockNews.com upgraded Unum Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Unum Group from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Unum Group from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $64.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $47.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Unum Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $56.38.

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.