Freestone Grove Partners LP Invests $49.06 Million in Unum Group $UNM

Key Points

• Freestone Grove Partners acquired 548,830 Unum Group shares worth approximately $49.1 million, giving the fund a 0.35% stake. Institutional investors collectively own 86.57% of UNM.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with eight Buy ratings and six Holds; the stock has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $99.42.
• Unum increased its quarterly dividend to $0.505 per share and authorized a $1 billion share repurchase program covering up to 7% of outstanding shares. The company also reported quarterly EPS of $2.16 and revenue of $3.39 billion.

Freestone Grove Partners LP purchased a new stake in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 548,830 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $49,065,000. Freestone Grove Partners LP owned 0.35% of Unum Group as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. GWN Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Unum Group during the second quarter valued at about $708,000. UBS Group AG boosted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 68,957 shares during the period. Qsemble Capital Management LP boosted its position in shares of Unum Group by 245.9% in the fourth quarter. Qsemble Capital Management LP now owns 106,742 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $8,273,000 after acquiring an additional 75,885 shares during the period. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new position in Unum Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,567,000. Finally, Swedbank AB grew its stake in Unum Group by 148.3% during the fourth quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 467,505 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $36,232,000 after acquiring an additional 279,233 shares in the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on UNM shares. Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of Unum Group from $88.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on shares of Unum Group from $110.00 to $108.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Atlantic Securities set a $88.00 price objective on Unum Group in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Wolfe Research lowered their price objective on Unum Group from $102.00 to $100.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Unum Group from $100.00 to $101.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $99.42.

Unum Group Stock Up 2.0%

UNM stock opened at $91.45 on Thursday. The company's 50 day moving average is $89.29 and its 200 day moving average is $82.03. The stock has a market cap of $14.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a current ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. Unum Group has a 1-year low of $68.70 and a 1-year high of $94.55.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The financial services provider reported $2.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.16. Unum Group had a net margin of 5.26% and a return on equity of 12.60%. The business had revenue of $3.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.90 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.92 earnings per share. Unum Group'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. Sell-side analysts predict that Unum Group will post 8.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 24th were issued a dividend of $0.505 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 24th. This represents a $2.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. This is an increase from Unum Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Unum Group's payout ratio is presently 47.09%.

Unum Group declared that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Wednesday, August 26th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to reacquire up to 7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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.

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