Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) EVP Christopher Pyne Sells 4,852 Shares

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) EVP Christopher Pyne sold 4,852 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.47, for a total value of $351,624.44. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 52,268 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,787,861.96. The trade was a 8.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Unum Group Stock Down 1.3%

UNM stock opened at $74.24 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $12.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.20. The company has a current ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $74.56 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $75.62. Unum Group has a 1-year low of $66.81 and a 1-year high of $84.48.

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

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

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on UNM. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Unum Group from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $115.00 price objective on shares of Unum Group in a report on Monday, January 5th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Unum Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 7th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Unum Group from $85.00 to $81.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $94.40.

Institutional Trading of Unum Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC bought a new position in Unum Group in the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Unum Group by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 140,209 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $10,867,000 after buying an additional 9,252 shares during the period. SHP Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Unum Group in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Kera Capital Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Unum Group in the fourth quarter worth about $463,000. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV boosted its position in shares of Unum Group by 88.0% in the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 540,144 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $42,067,000 after acquiring an additional 252,870 shares during the period. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Unum Group Company Profile

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.