Wedge Capital Management L L P NC Has $33.26 Million Stake in Unum Group $UNM

Key Points

• Wedge Capital trimmed its stake in Unum Group by 14.6%, selling 73,093 shares and leaving it with 429,129 shares worth about $33.26 million; institutional investors now own roughly 86.6% of the stock.
• Unum missed Q4 EPS ($1.92 vs. $2.11 expected) and revenue, set FY2026 guidance of $8.60–$8.90 EPS versus a sell‑side consensus of ~$9.14, and the stock trades around $72.87 with a consensus target of $94.40 ("Moderate Buy").
• The board authorized a $1.0 billion share buyback (up to ~8.2% of shares) and the company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.46 (≈2.5% yield), while insiders sold about 21,852 shares in the last quarter.

Wedge Capital Management L L P NC trimmed its position in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) by 14.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 429,129 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 73,093 shares during the period. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC owned approximately 0.26% of Unum Group worth $33,257,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of UNM. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Unum Group by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,484 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $271,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC raised its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 36.2% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 587 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its position in shares of Unum Group by 0.3% in the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 49,017 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,813,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Laird Norton Wetherby Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Unum Group by 1.2% in the third quarter. Laird Norton Wetherby Wealth Management LLC now owns 13,709 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,066,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SageView Advisory Group LLC boosted its holdings in Unum Group by 3.6% during the second quarter. SageView Advisory Group LLC now owns 4,949 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $396,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on UNM shares. Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Unum Group in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Citigroup reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Unum Group in a report on Thursday, December 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Unum Group from $92.00 to $90.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 6th. UBS Group decreased their price target on Unum Group from $85.00 to $81.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Zacks Research cut Unum Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $94.40.

Unum Group Stock Down 2.1%

Shares of UNM stock opened at $72.87 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.37. The firm's 50-day moving average is $73.77 and its 200-day moving average is $75.66. The stock has a market cap of $11.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.15, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.20. Unum Group has a 52-week low of $66.81 and a 52-week high of $83.21.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.92 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.11 by ($0.19). The business had revenue of $3.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.29 billion. Unum Group had a return on equity of 12.62% and a net margin of 5.65%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.03 EPS. Unum Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.600-8.900 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current year.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th were paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 30th. Unum Group's payout ratio is currently 43.29%.

Unum Group declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Thursday, December 4th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the financial services provider to reacquire up to 8.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often an indication that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Christopher W. Pyne sold 4,852 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.47, for a total value of $351,624.44. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 52,268 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,787,861.96. This represents a 8.49% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Cynthia Egan sold 9,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.00, for a total value of $657,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 42,846 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,127,758. This represents a 17.36% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 21,852 shares of company stock worth $1,590,734 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.92% of the company's stock.

Unum Group News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Unum Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a "moderate buy" on UNM and maintained a $95 price target (implies ~30% upside versus current levels), supporting a longer‑term constructive view. KBW reaffirmation
• Positive Sentiment: Consensus analyst positioning: several outlets report a consensus "moderate buy" thread among analysts, which can provide support versus more bearish lone ratings. Consensus recommendation
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its FY2028 EPS view modestly (to $10.72 from $10.58) — a longer‑horizon improvement but unlikely to offset near‑term concerns by itself. Zacks FY2028 note
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research cut multiple near‑term quarterly and annual EPS estimates and reiterated a "Strong Sell" rating: Q1 2026 to $2.08 (from $2.11), Q2 2026 to $2.18 (from $2.21), Q3 2026 to $2.23 (from $2.25), Q4 2026 to $2.28 (from $2.31/2.34 reported in notes), FY2026 to $8.76 (from $8.88), and FY2027 to $9.72 (from $9.84). Those downgrades increase near‑term earnings risk and are the primary reason for downward stock pressure. Zacks cuts

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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