Hancock Whitney Corp Purchases 8,566 Shares of Unum Group $UNM

Key Points

• Hancock Whitney Corp increased its stake in Unum Group by 26.6%, acquiring an additional 8,566 shares, bringing their total holdings to 40,763 shares worth approximately $3.32 million.
• Unum Group recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.46 per share, a raise from $0.42, contributing to an annual dividend yield of 2.5%.
• The company reported earnings per share of $2.07 for the last quarter, missing analysts' expectations, but its revenue grew by 4% year-over-year, amounting to $3.36 billion.

Hancock Whitney Corp grew its holdings in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) by 26.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 40,763 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 8,566 shares during the quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp's holdings in Unum Group were worth $3,321,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNM. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Unum Group by 4.8% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,816,520 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $473,814,000 after buying an additional 264,268 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in Unum Group by 155.6% in the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,278,473 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $185,604,000 after purchasing an additional 1,387,139 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in Unum Group by 13.1% during the 1st quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,654,489 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $134,775,000 after purchasing an additional 191,572 shares during the period. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI acquired a new position in Unum Group during the 4th quarter worth $105,199,000. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada grew its stake in shares of Unum Group by 0.5% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,416,124 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $115,358,000 after purchasing an additional 6,648 shares in the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unum Group Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of UNM stock traded down $0.48 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $73.21. The company had a trading volume of 1,473,271 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,439,162. Unum Group has a 1-year low of $52.71 and a 1-year high of $84.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.30 and a quick ratio of 0.30. The firm has a market cap of $12.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a 50 day moving average of $74.67 and a 200 day moving average of $77.56.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.07 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.23 by ($0.16). Unum Group had a return on equity of 13.44% and a net margin of 11.77%.The business had revenue of $3.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.35 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.16 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter 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. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current year.

Unum Group Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on UNM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Unum Group from $87.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on Unum Group from $88.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 3rd. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Unum Group from $85.00 to $79.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 18th. Evercore ISI dropped their price target 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. Finally, UBS Group set a $87.00 target price on shares of Unum Group and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $91.15.

Unum Group Company 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.