New York State Common Retirement Fund Sells 9,448 Shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

New York State Common Retirement Fund decreased its holdings in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) by 8.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 106,333 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 9,448 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund owned about 0.06% of Unum Group worth $8,662,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new stake in Unum Group during the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. Rossby Financial LCC purchased a new stake in shares of Unum Group during the 1st quarter worth $46,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new stake in Unum Group during the first quarter valued at about $49,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda bought a new stake in Unum Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $102,000. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. grew its stake in Unum Group by 60.3% in the first quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 1,282 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $104,000 after purchasing an additional 482 shares during the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on UNM. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Unum Group from $87.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Barclays set a $96.00 target price on Unum Group and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, July 7th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $97.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 1st. UBS Group set a $89.00 price objective on shares of Unum Group and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Unum Group from $83.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $90.14.

Unum Group Stock Up 0.1%

Unum Group stock opened at $81.09 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $14.14 billion, a PE ratio of 9.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.30 and a quick ratio of 0.30. The stock's fifty day moving average is $80.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $78.18. Unum Group has a 1-year low of $51.80 and a 1-year high of $84.48.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.19 by ($0.15). Unum Group had a net margin of 12.31% and a return on equity of 14.17%. The firm had revenue of $3.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.34 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.12 EPS. Unum Group's quarterly revenue was down 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 25th will be issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 25th. This is a positive change from Unum Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. Unum Group's payout ratio is currently 19.79%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Unum Group news, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total value of $800,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 51,170 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,093,600. This trade represents a 16.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.92% of the company's stock.

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.

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