Russell Investments Group Ltd. Reduces Stock Holdings in Unum Group $UNM

Key Points

• Russell Investments Group Ltd. sold 97,094 shares of Unum Group, reducing its stake by 41.3%, leaving it with 137,822 shares valued at $11.2 million.
• The financial services provider reported earnings per share of $2.07 for the latest quarter, which fell short of analyst expectations of $2.23.
• Unum Group recently increased its quarterly dividend to $0.46 from $0.42, translating to an annualized yield of 2.7% and a dividend payout ratio of 22.01%.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. reduced its holdings in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) by 41.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 137,822 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 97,094 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned about 0.08% of Unum Group worth $11,226,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in shares of Unum Group by 4.0% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,558 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $290,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the period. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Unum Group by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 18,211 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,330,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its stake in shares of Unum Group by 7.3% in the 1st quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 2,757 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $225,000 after purchasing an additional 187 shares during the period. CWM LLC lifted its stake in shares of Unum Group by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 14,209 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,158,000 after purchasing an additional 199 shares during the period. Finally, Sculati Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Unum Group by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Sculati Wealth Management LLC now owns 38,901 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,841,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. 86.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNM has been the subject of several analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $95.00 target price (down from $100.00) on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of 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 reduced their price objective on shares of 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 reduced their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $105.00 to $100.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Barclays set a $96.00 price objective on shares of Unum Group and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $91.15.

Unum Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UNM traded up $0.5350 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $69.8750. The company's stock had a trading volume of 930,715 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,750,771. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $76.48 and a two-hundred day moving average of $77.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a current ratio of 0.30. Unum Group has a 1-year low of $52.71 and a 1-year high of $84.48.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) last issued 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). The business had revenue of $3.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.35 billion. Unum Group had a net margin of 11.77% and a return on equity of 13.44%. Unum Group's quarterly revenue was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.16 earnings per share. 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 fiscal year.

Unum Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 25th were given a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. This is a positive change from Unum Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 25th. Unum Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.01%.

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.