Ballentine Partners LLC Sells 1,519 Shares of Unum Group $UNM

Ballentine Partners LLC reduced its holdings in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 25.0% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,551 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,519 shares during the quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $368,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quintet Private Bank Europe S.A. bought a new position in Unum Group in the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Unum Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $30,000. Atwood & Palmer Inc. increased its position in shares of Unum Group by 100.0% during the 2nd quarter. Atwood & Palmer Inc. now owns 400 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Unum Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Unum Group by 196.9% during the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 478 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 317 shares during the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Unum Group Trading Up 2.1%

Shares of UNM stock opened at $78.28 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.33 billion, a PE ratio of 9.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.38. Unum Group has a 1-year low of $58.03 and a 1-year high of $84.48. The business has a 50-day moving average of $73.19 and a 200 day moving average of $77.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.30 and a quick ratio of 0.30.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.07 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.23 by ($0.16). Unum Group had a net margin of 11.77% and a return on equity of 13.44%. The company had revenue of $3.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.35 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.16 earnings per share. The company’s revenue 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. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Unum Group will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Unum Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 25th were issued a $0.46 dividend. This is an increase from Unum Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 25th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.01%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on UNM. Barclays set a $96.00 price objective on Unum Group and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Unum Group from $87.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. UBS Group set a $87.00 price objective on Unum Group and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Unum Group from $105.00 to $100.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Unum Group from $85.00 to $79.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Unum Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $91.14.

Unum Group 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.