Empowered Funds LLC Purchases Shares of 83,856 Unum Group $UNM

Key Points

• Empowered Funds LLC acquired 83,856 shares of Unum Group, representing a total investment of approximately $6.83 million in the first quarter.
• Unum Group announced a quarterly dividend of $0.46 per share, increasing from the previous dividend of $0.42, which reflects a positive change in its dividend payout policy.
• Analysts have set varying price targets for Unum Group, with the average price target around $91.15, and ratings ranging from "Strong Buy" to "Hold."

Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm bought 83,856 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $6,831,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNM. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. raised its position in Unum Group by 28.3% in the 1st quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 3,802 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $310,000 after purchasing an additional 838 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP bought a new position in shares of Unum Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $240,000. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its position in Unum Group by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 60,370 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $4,918,000 after buying an additional 201 shares in the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new stake in Unum Group during the 1st quarter worth about $646,000. Finally, Asset Management One Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in 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 worth $1,409,000 after acquiring an additional 8,120 shares during the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unum Group Trading Up 0.5%

NYSE:UNM opened at $73.64 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. Unum Group has a 1-year low of $52.71 and a 1-year high of $84.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.81, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 0.38. The business's 50-day moving average price is $74.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $77.50.

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

Unum Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Friday, July 25th were paid 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, July 25th. This is a positive change from Unum Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. Unum Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.01%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNM has been the subject of several research analyst reports. UBS Group set a $87.00 price objective on shares of Unum Group and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on Unum Group from $100.00 to $96.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Unum Group from $105.00 to $100.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on Unum Group from $88.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Unum Group from $85.00 to $79.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 18th. One 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $91.15.

About Unum Group

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.

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 and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.