Unum Group $UNM Shares Bought by ProShare Advisors LLC

ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 4.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 439,474 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 16,849 shares during the quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $34,182,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in UNM. NDVR Inc. raised its holdings in Unum Group by 3.3% in the second quarter. NDVR Inc. now owns 4,526 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $366,000 after acquiring an additional 145 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC grew its holdings in Unum Group by 36.2% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 587 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. Waterfront Wealth Inc. increased its position in shares of Unum Group by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Waterfront Wealth Inc. now owns 29,350 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,370,000 after purchasing an additional 158 shares during the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management raised its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 42,327 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,418,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System raised its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 49,017 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,813,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Unum Group

In other news, CAO Walter Lynn Rice, Jr. sold 900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.50, for a total transaction of $66,150.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 8,940 shares in the company, valued at approximately $657,090. This trade represents a 9.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Steven Andrew Zabel sold 7,500 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.38, for a total transaction of $572,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 113,807 shares in the company, valued at $8,692,578.66. The trade was a 6.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.93% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNM has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $98.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Unum Group from $92.00 to $90.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley set a $85.00 price objective on Unum Group in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Evercore set a $103.00 target price on Unum Group in a research report on Friday. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $97.69.

Unum Group Stock Performance

Shares of UNM stock opened at $71.77 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $76.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $75.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.37. Unum Group has a 1 year low of $66.81 and a 1 year high of $84.48. The firm has a market cap of $12.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.89, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.20.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.92 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.11 by ($0.19). The firm had revenue of $3.25 billion during 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.03 earnings per share. Unum Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.600-8.900 EPS. Analysts predict that Unum Group will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Unum Group announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, December 4th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to buy up to 8.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th will be issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 30th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 43.29%.

Unum Group 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.