Stock Traders Purchase Large Volume of Call Options on Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) was the target of some unusual options trading on Tuesday. Traders acquired 11,180 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 675% compared to the average daily volume of 1,442 call options.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 12,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.14, for a total transaction of $961,680.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 42,587 shares in the company, valued at $3,412,922.18. This represents a 21.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Unum Group during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. SHP Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Unum Group in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC bought a new position in shares of Unum Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Unum Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Ancora Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 385.2% during the 3rd quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 427 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 339 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of UNM opened at $89.51 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $84.56 and its 200 day simple moving average is $78.71. The company has a market capitalization of $14.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.46, a P/E/G ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.35 and a quick ratio of 0.35. Unum Group has a 1-year low of $68.28 and a 1-year high of $93.21.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The financial services provider reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.07. Unum Group had a net margin of 5.86% and a return on equity of 12.60%. The business had revenue of $3.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.91 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.04 earnings per share. Unum Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. Unum Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.600-8.90 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 8.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 24th were issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 24th. Unum Group’s payout ratio is currently 40.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNM has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $81.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Unum Group from $88.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Unum Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Unum Group from $99.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Unum Group from $80.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Unum Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $93.83.

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.