United Capital Financial Advisors LLC Invests $1.35 Million in Unum Group $UNM

Key Points

• United Capital Financial Advisors initiated a $1.35 million position in Unum Group during the second quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 86.57% of the company.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus, with eight Buy ratings and six Holds and an average price target of $99.42. Unum shares opened at $93.16, near their 52-week high of $94.55.
• Unum reported quarterly earnings of $2.16 per share, matching estimates, and revenue of $3.39 billion. The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.505 per share and authorized a $1 billion share-buyback program covering up to 7% of outstanding shares.

United Capital Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 15,085 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,349,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Unum Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,108,919,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Unum Group by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,653,246 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $438,127,000 after acquiring an additional 26,753 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 7.7% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,084,382 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $298,287,000 after acquiring an additional 292,670 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in Unum Group by 35.1% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,339,289 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $181,622,000 after acquiring an additional 607,684 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS Group AG increased its holdings in Unum Group by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,356,916 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $105,161,000 after purchasing an additional 68,957 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.57% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Unum Group from $117.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $100.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $87.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, August 24th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Unum Group from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, 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 research note on Thursday, July 30th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Unum Group currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $99.42.

Unum Group Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE:UNM opened at $93.16 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $89.40 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $82.23. The company has a market capitalization of $14.75 billion, a PE ratio of 21.72, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.26. Unum Group has a 52 week low of $68.70 and a 52 week high of $94.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a current ratio of 0.34.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The financial services provider reported $2.16 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.16. The business had revenue of $3.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.90 billion. Unum Group had a return on equity of 12.60% and a net margin of 5.26%.Unum Group's revenue for the quarter was up .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.92 EPS. Unum Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.600-8.900 EPS. Analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 8.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Unum Group Increases Dividend

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

Unum Group announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Wednesday, August 26th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to reacquire up to 7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

About Unum Group

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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