Unum Group $UNM Shares Sold by Northern Trust Corp

Key Points

• Northern Trust Corp reduced its stake in Unum Group by 2.5%, now holding approximately 1.08% of the company, valued at about $153.35 million.
• Analysts have mixed views on Unum Group, with target prices ranging from $79.00 to $96.00, leading to a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a target price of $91.15.
• Unum Group recently increased its quarterly dividend from $0.42 to $0.46 per share, reflecting a strong annualized yield of 2.6%.

Northern Trust Corp decreased its position in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) by 2.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,882,465 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 47,884 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp owned approximately 1.08% of Unum Group worth $153,346,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. raised its stake 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 worth $310,000 after acquiring an additional 838 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new position in Unum Group in the 4th quarter worth $240,000. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its stake in Unum Group by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 60,370 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $4,918,000 after acquiring an additional 201 shares during the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new position in Unum Group in the 1st quarter worth $646,000. Finally, Asset Management One Co. Ltd. raised its stake in Unum Group by 88.4% in 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.57% of the company's stock.

Unum Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNM traded up $0.32 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $69.79. 409,486 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,414,536. Unum Group has a fifty-two week low of $52.71 and a fifty-two week high of $84.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The firm has a market cap of $11.89 billion, a PE ratio of 8.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $76.12 and a 200-day simple moving average of $77.76.

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

Unum Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Friday, July 25th were issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 25th. This is a positive change from Unum Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. Unum Group's payout ratio is presently 22.01%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on UNM. Morgan Stanley reduced 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Unum Group from $87.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $95.00 price objective (down previously from $100.00) on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on Unum Group from $100.00 to $96.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Barclays set a $96.00 price objective on Unum Group and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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.