Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Purchases New Position in Unum Group $UNM

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 9,590 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $857,000.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of UNM. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Unum Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. SHP Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Unum Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC acquired a new position in shares of Unum Group during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Unum Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Ancora Advisors LLC lifted its position 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 and hedge funds own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Stock Performance

NYSE UNM opened at $93.16 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.34 and a quick ratio of 0.34. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $89.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $82.30. The company has a market cap of $14.75 billion, a PE ratio of 21.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.26. Unum Group has a 1-year low of $68.70 and a 1-year high of $94.55.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The financial services provider reported $2.16 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.16. Unum Group had a return on equity of 12.60% and a net margin of 5.26%.The firm had revenue of $3.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.90 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.92 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .3% on a year-over-year basis. Unum Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.600-8.900 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Unum Group will post 8.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 24th were paid a dividend of $0.505 per share. This is a boost from Unum Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 24th. This represents a $2.02 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 47.09%.

Unum Group announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Wednesday, August 26th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to repurchase up to 7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on UNM. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Unum Group from $100.00 to $101.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Wolfe Research reduced their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $102.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $117.00 to $123.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $106.00 target price on shares of Unum Group in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Unum Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $99.42.

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.