Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Has $3.40 Million Stake in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System decreased its stake in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 1.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 46,600 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 800 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $3,403,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Barrett & Company Inc. increased its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of Unum Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Unum Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $37,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its holdings in Unum Group by 38.2% in the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 702 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 194 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in Unum Group by 26.4% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 766 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Price Performance

Shares of UNM stock opened at $75.44 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $74.21 and a two-hundred day moving average of $65.87. 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 $48.11 and a 12 month high of $79.43. The company has a market capitalization of $13.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.80.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last announced its quarterly 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%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Unum Group will post 9.12 EPS for the current year.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th will be paid a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 24th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is 17.74%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. StockNews.com raised Unum Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Piper Sandler raised their target price on Unum Group from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Unum Group from $74.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Barclays raised their target price on Unum Group from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on Unum Group from $88.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $80.33.

Insider Activity at Unum Group

In related news, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.61, for a total value of $363,050.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 35,840 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,602,342.40. The trade was a 12.24 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gloria C. Larson sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.50, for a total value of $745,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 121,491 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,051,079.50. This represents a 7.61 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 83,865 shares of company stock valued at $6,315,082 in the last 90 days. 0.93% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Unum Group

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.