Alliancebernstein L.P. Lowers Stake in Unum Group $UNM

Key Points

• Alliancebernstein L.P. has reduced its stake in Unum Group by 9.1%, now holding 258,558 shares valued at approximately $21 million.
• Several institutional investors have increased their stakes in Unum Group, with Asset Management One Co. Ltd. raising theirs by 88.4%, signaling growing interest in the stock.
• Unum Group recently increased its quarterly dividend from $0.42 to $0.46, representing an annualized payout of $1.84 and a dividend yield of 2.5%.

Alliancebernstein L.P. lowered its stake in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) by 9.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 258,558 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 25,905 shares during the quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned 0.15% of Unum Group worth $21,062,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. raised its position in shares of Unum Group by 28.3% during the 1st quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 3,802 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $310,000 after buying an additional 838 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Unum Group during the 4th quarter valued at $240,000. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Unum Group by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 60,370 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $4,918,000 after buying an additional 201 shares in the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Unum Group during the 1st quarter valued at $646,000. Finally, Asset Management One Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of Unum Group by 88.4% during the 1st quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 17,302 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,409,000 after buying an additional 8,120 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.57% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNM has been the topic of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $87.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. UBS Group set a $87.00 price objective on shares of Unum Group and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $95.00 target price (down previously from $100.00) on shares of Unum Group in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Unum Group from $105.00 to $100.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their target price on shares of Unum Group from $100.00 to $96.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $91.15.

Unum Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNM opened at $73.64 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $12.54 billion, a PE ratio of 8.81, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 0.38. The company's fifty day moving average is $74.34 and its 200 day moving average is $77.50. Unum Group has a 52 week low of $52.71 and a 52 week high of $84.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.23 by ($0.16). Unum Group had a net margin of 11.77% and a return on equity of 13.44%. The firm had revenue of $3.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.35 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.16 EPS. Unum Group's revenue was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Unum Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.500-8.50 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Unum Group will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Unum Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 25th were given a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 25th. This is a positive change from Unum Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Unum Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 22.01%.

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.

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