South Dakota Investment Council Has $17.95 Million Position in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

South Dakota Investment Council lowered its position in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 0.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 245,849 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,500 shares during the quarter. South Dakota Investment Council owned approximately 0.13% of Unum Group worth $17,954,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNM. Allianz Asset Management GmbH lifted its stake in shares of Unum Group by 44.9% during the 4th quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 1,264,994 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $92,383,000 after buying an additional 392,191 shares during the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Unum Group by 151.7% during the 3rd quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 509,702 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $30,297,000 after buying an additional 307,175 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Unum Group by 50.0% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 469,342 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,554,000 after buying an additional 156,380 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Unum Group by 5,844.0% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 101,048 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,006,000 after buying an additional 99,348 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Algert Global LLC lifted its stake in shares of Unum Group by 69.5% during the 3rd quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 236,264 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $14,044,000 after buying an additional 96,916 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Stock Down 1.0 %

NYSE:UNM opened at $74.07 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $74.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $66.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.29 and a quick ratio of 0.28. Unum Group has a one year low of $48.38 and a one year high of $79.43. The company has a market cap of $13.53 billion, a PE ratio of 7.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.80.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last posted 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 return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 13.81%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Unum Group will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Unum Group declared that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Tuesday, February 18th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the financial services provider to buy up to 7.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th were given 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 2.27%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 17.74%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Timothy Gerald Arnold sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.92, for a total value of $769,200.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 54,827 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,217,292.84. The trade was a 15.43 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.93% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on UNM. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and set a $79.00 target price (up previously from $74.00) on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Unum Group from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $67.00 to $84.00 in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $81.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $88.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Unum Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $81.17.

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.