Vestcor Inc Sells 35,578 Shares of Unum Group $UNM

Vestcor Inc lowered its position in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 19.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 150,129 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 35,578 shares during the period. Vestcor Inc owned about 0.09% of Unum Group worth $11,677,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norges Bank bought a new position in Unum Group during the second quarter worth about $1,113,353,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH raised its position in shares of Unum Group by 63.7% during the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 2,516,126 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $195,704,000 after purchasing an additional 978,937 shares during the period. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 762.9% during the 2nd quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc now owns 712,206 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $57,518,000 after purchasing an additional 629,665 shares in the last quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC grew its position in shares of Unum Group by 66.4% in the 2nd quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 760,765 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $61,439,000 after purchasing an additional 303,500 shares during the period. Finally, Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in Unum Group by 508.0% during the 2nd quarter. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC now owns 294,088 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $23,751,000 after purchasing an additional 245,718 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNM has been the topic of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Unum Group from $85.00 to $80.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Unum Group from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Unum Group from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Unum Group from $92.00 to $90.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $94.40.

Unum Group Stock Down 0.9%

UNM stock opened at $73.64 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $12.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.20. Unum Group has a twelve month low of $66.81 and a twelve month high of $84.48. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $75.34 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $75.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.92 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by ($0.19). Unum Group had a return on equity of 12.62% and a net margin of 5.65%.The firm had revenue of $3.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.29 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.03 earnings per share. Unum Group’s quarterly revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. Unum Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.600-8.900 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

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

Unum Group declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, December 4th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the financial services provider to repurchase up to 8.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Unum Group

In other news, Director Timothy F. Keaney sold 4,500 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.58, for a total transaction of $326,610.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 38,592 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,801,007.36. The trade was a 10.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Walter Lynn Rice, Jr. sold 900 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.50, for a total value of $66,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 8,940 shares in the company, valued at approximately $657,090. This trade represents a 9.15% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 14,400 shares of company stock worth $1,049,760 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

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.