First Trust Advisors LP Increases Stake in Unum Group $UNM

First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 5,734,937 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 223,095 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $446,063,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in UNM. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unum Group during the second quarter valued at about $30,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its stake in Unum Group by 44.0% in the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 537 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its holdings in Unum Group by 36.2% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 587 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the period. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its holdings in Unum Group by 2,350.0% in the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 588 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 564 shares during the period. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unum Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $76,000. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Cynthia Egan sold 9,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.00, for a total transaction of $657,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 42,846 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,127,758. This represents a 17.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Timothy F. Keaney sold 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.58, for a total value of $326,610.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 38,592 shares in the company, valued at $2,801,007.36. This trade represents a 10.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 14,400 shares of company stock valued at $1,049,760. Insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of NYSE UNM opened at $73.64 on Friday. Unum Group has a 1 year low of $66.81 and a 1 year high of $84.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.37 and a quick ratio of 0.37. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $75.34 and a 200 day moving average of $75.37. The stock has a market cap of $12.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.20.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.92 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by ($0.19). Unum Group had a return on equity of 12.62% and a net margin of 5.65%.The business had revenue of $3.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.29 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.03 EPS. Unum Group’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Unum Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.600-8.900 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Thursday, December 4th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the financial services provider to buy up to 8.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th were given a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 30th. Unum Group’s payout ratio is currently 43.29%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded Unum Group from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $92.00 to $90.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of Unum Group in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Unum Group from $85.00 to $80.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Evercore set a $103.00 target price on Unum Group in a research note on Friday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $94.40.

About Unum Group

Unum Group (NYSE: UNM) is a leading provider of employee benefits in the United States and selected international markets, specializing in disability, life, accident and critical illness insurance. Through both fully insured and self-funded arrangements, the company offers group coverage designed to protect income and mitigate financial hardship for employees and their families. Its portfolio includes short-term and long-term disability plans, group life and accidental death & dismemberment (AD&D) policies, as well as critical illness and hospital indemnity products.

In addition to its core product lines, Unum Group markets voluntary benefits under its Colonial Life brand, allowing employees to purchase supplemental insurance such as accident, cancer, and dental coverage directly through payroll deductions.