Donald Smith & CO. Inc. Purchases New Shares in Unum Group $UNM

Key Points

• Donald Smith & Co. acquired 649,485 Unum Group shares worth approximately $58.1 million, giving the firm a 0.41% stake. Institutional investors collectively own 86.57% of UNM.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $99, compared with the stock’s $87.75 opening price.
• Unum matched quarterly earnings expectations at $2.16 per share and reported $3.39 billion in revenue; it also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.505, representing a 2.3% annualized yield.

Donald Smith & CO. Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 649,485 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $58,064,000. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. owned about 0.41% of Unum Group as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unum Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. SHP Wealth Management purchased a new position in Unum Group in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC purchased a new position in Unum Group in the first quarter worth about $29,000. Triumph Capital Management bought a new stake in Unum Group during the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Ancora Advisors LLC increased its stake in Unum Group by 385.2% during the third quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 427 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 339 shares during the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on UNM. Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $106.00 price objective on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Weiss Ratings raised Unum Group from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Truist Financial increased their price target on Unum Group from $88.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Atlantic Securities set a $88.00 price target on Unum Group in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $80.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $99.00.

Unum Group Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE:UNM opened at $87.75 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.89 billion, a PE ratio of 20.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.26. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $89.38 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $81.70. Unum Group has a 1 year low of $68.70 and a 1 year high of $94.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.34 and a quick ratio of 0.34.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The financial services provider reported $2.16 earnings per share 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.90 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.92 earnings per share. The company'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. On average, equities analysts predict that Unum Group will post 8.65 EPS for the current 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 $0.505 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 24th. This is a positive change from Unum Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $2.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. Unum Group's payout ratio is 47.09%.

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.

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