New Mexico Educational Retirement Board Sells 3,357 Shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

New Mexico Educational Retirement Board decreased its holdings in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 8.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 34,843 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 3,357 shares during the period. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $2,545,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Barrett & Company Inc. raised its position in Unum Group by 300.0% during the 4th quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 396 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in Unum Group during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its position in Unum Group by 38.2% during the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 702 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 194 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP grew its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 4,794.7% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 930 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 911 shares during the period. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 26.4% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 766 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNM has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on Unum Group in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $91.00 target price on the stock. Barclays upped their target price on Unum Group from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Unum Group from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Unum Group from $88.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Unum Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $80.33.

Unum Group Stock Performance

Shares of UNM opened at $74.42 on Friday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $74.18 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $66.16. The company has a current ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Unum Group has a 12 month low of $48.28 and a 12 month high of $79.43. The company has a market cap of $13.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.80.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last issued its earnings results 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%. Research analysts anticipate that Unum Group will post 9.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th were paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.26%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is 17.74%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Unum Group

In other news, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 58,865 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.39, for a total transaction of $4,437,832.35. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,007,003 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $75,917,956.17. This represents a 5.52 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.61, for a total value of $363,050.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 35,840 shares in the company, valued at $2,602,342.40. The trade was a 12.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 83,865 shares of company stock worth $6,315,082. Insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

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.