Hancock Whitney Corp Sells 229,012 Shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Hancock Whitney Corp trimmed its position in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 85.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 38,771 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 229,012 shares during the quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $2,080,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of UNM. Salomon & Ludwin LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unum Group in the first quarter worth about $28,000. MCF Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unum Group in the first quarter worth about $35,000. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Unum Group in the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Rise Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 93.8% in the first quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 814 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 394 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 363.7% in the first quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 946 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 742 shares during the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on UNM. Piper Sandler began coverage on Unum Group in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $57.00 price objective on the stock. Truist Financial boosted their price target on Unum Group from $62.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Citigroup boosted their price target on Unum Group from $62.00 to $69.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Unum Group from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Unum Group from $64.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Unum Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $61.44.

Unum Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UNM traded down $0.97 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $56.56. The stock had a trading volume of 591,190 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,266,713. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.28. The company has a 50 day moving average of $51.87 and a two-hundred day moving average of $50.93. Unum Group has a twelve month low of $41.75 and a twelve month high of $58.17. The firm has a market cap of $10.71 billion, a PE ratio of 8.55, a PEG ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 0.81.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.02 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $3.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.23 billion. Unum Group had a return on equity of 15.80% and a net margin of 10.40%. The firm’s revenue was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.06 EPS. Research analysts predict that Unum Group will post 8.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 16th. Investors of record on Friday, July 26th will be paid a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 26th. This is a positive change from Unum Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.97%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 24.96%.

Insider Activity at Unum Group

In other Unum Group news, EVP Christopher W. Pyne sold 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.47, for a total value of $236,115.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 56,262 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,952,067.14. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Unum Group news, EVP Christopher W. Pyne sold 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.47, for a total value of $236,115.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 56,262 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,952,067.14. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Timothy F. Keaney sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.61, for a total transaction of $420,880.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 37,505 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,973,138.05. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.93% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Unum Group Profile

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.