Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Boosts Stock Position in Unum Group $UNM

Key Points

• Brandywine Global Investment Management increased its Unum Group stake by 20% in the fourth quarter, while other institutional investors also boosted holdings; hedge funds and institutions now own 86.57% of the company.
• Several analysts remain constructive on UNM, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $93.83. Recent moves included upgrades from Wall Street Zen and Weiss Ratings, alongside target changes from Morgan Stanley and Bank of America.
• Unum reported better-than-expected Q1 results, posting EPS of $2.14 versus $2.07 expected and revenue of $3.36 billion versus $2.91 billion estimated. The company also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.46 per share, implying an annual yield of about 2.1%.

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) by 20.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 211,266 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 35,267 shares during the period. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned 0.13% of Unum Group worth $16,373,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. UBS Group AG grew its stake in Unum Group by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,356,916 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $105,161,000 after purchasing an additional 68,957 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its stake in Unum Group by 1,167.7% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 153,696 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $11,911,000 after purchasing an additional 141,572 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Unum Group by 4.0% during the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 5,734,937 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $446,063,000 after acquiring an additional 223,095 shares during the last quarter. Qsemble Capital Management LP grew its stake in shares of Unum Group by 245.9% during the fourth quarter. Qsemble Capital Management LP now owns 106,742 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $8,273,000 after acquiring an additional 75,885 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Unum Group during the fourth quarter worth about $1,898,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.57% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 12,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.14, for a total value of $961,680.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 42,587 shares in the company, valued at $3,412,922.18. This represents a 21.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Christopher W. Pyne sold 4,852 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.47, for a total value of $351,624.44. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 52,268 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,787,861.96. This represents a 8.49% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on UNM. Wall Street Zen upgraded Unum Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a "moderate buy" rating and set a $95.00 price target on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Unum Group from $80.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Bank of America dropped their price target on Unum Group from $83.00 to $77.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Unum Group from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $93.83.

Unum Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UNM opened at $87.08 on Tuesday. The business's 50 day moving average price is $79.93 and its 200 day moving average price is $76.97. The firm has a market cap of $13.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.93, a P/E/G ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.24. Unum Group has a 52 week low of $68.28 and a 52 week high of $87.81. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The financial services provider reported $2.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $3.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.91 billion. Unum Group had a return on equity of 12.60% and a net margin of 5.86%.Unum Group's revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.04 earnings per share. Unum Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.600-8.90 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Unum Group will post 8.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, April 24th were given a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 24th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Unum Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 40.00%.

Unum Group Company 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding UNM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.