Insider Selling: Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) CAO Sells 2,188 Shares of Stock

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) CAO Lynn Jr sold 2,188 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.31, for a total transaction of $206,350.28. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 8,154 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $769,003.74. This trade represents a 21.16% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Unum Group Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE UNM traded down $0.10 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $94.20. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,959,297 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,493,083. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.34 and a quick ratio of 0.34. Unum Group has a 52-week low of $69.02 and a 52-week high of $96.77. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $90.10 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $83.69.

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

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

Unum Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Investors of record on Friday, July 24th were given a dividend of $0.505 per share. This is a positive change from Unum Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 24th. This represents a $2.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 47.09%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on UNM. Wolfe Research cut their price objective on Unum Group from $102.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $106.00 target price on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Unum Group from $100.00 to $101.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Barclays boosted their price target on Unum Group from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Unum Group from $87.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, August 24th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Unum Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $99.42.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Unum Group

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in UNM. SHP Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Unum Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unum Group in the first quarter worth $29,000. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in Unum Group in the third quarter valued at $31,000. Ancora Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Unum Group by 385.2% during the 3rd quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 427 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 339 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC bought a new position in Unum Group during the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. 86.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unum Group Company Profile

Unum Group is an insurance company that provides financial protection and employee benefits through workplace and individual products. Its offerings include disability insurance, life insurance, accident insurance, critical illness coverage, and related benefits designed to help individuals and families manage income loss and other financial risks.

The company serves employers, employees, and individual customers primarily in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Ireland. Its products are distributed through employers, insurance brokers, benefits advisers, and other intermediaries.