Insider Selling: Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Director Sells 9,000 Shares of Stock

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Director Cynthia Egan sold 9,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.00, for a total transaction of $657,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 42,846 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,127,758. This represents a 17.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Unum Group Stock Performance

NYSE UNM traded up $0.19 on Friday, hitting $73.66. 1,535,517 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,482,886. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.06 billion, a PE ratio of 17.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.20. Unum Group has a 1-year low of $66.81 and a 1-year high of $84.48. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $76.64 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $75.16. The company has a current ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last announced its quarterly 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 company had revenue of $3.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.29 billion. Unum Group had a return on equity of 12.62% and a net margin of 5.65%.Unum Group’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.03 earnings per share. Unum Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.600-8.900 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current year.

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

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th will be issued a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 30th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. Unum Group’s payout ratio is presently 43.29%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Unum Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of UNM. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Unum Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unum Group during the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Unum Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Ancora Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 385.2% in the third quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 427 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 339 shares during the period. Finally, Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 44.0% in the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 537 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares during the period. 86.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of Unum Group in a report on Monday, January 5th. Evercore set a $103.00 target price on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Unum Group from $98.00 to $104.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Unum Group in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Unum Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $96.75.

About Unum Group

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.