Argent Trust Co Takes Position in Unum Group $UNM

Argent Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 38,517 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,996,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of UNM. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Unum Group by 4.2% during the third quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,484 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $271,000 after buying an additional 141 shares during the period. NDVR Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 3.3% in the 2nd quarter. NDVR Inc. now owns 4,526 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $366,000 after acquiring an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its position in shares of Unum Group by 36.2% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 587 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System increased its holdings in Unum Group by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 49,017 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,813,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Savant Capital LLC increased its holdings in Unum Group by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 46,440 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,750,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on UNM shares. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of Unum Group in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Zacks Research cut Unum Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings raised Unum Group from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday. Evercore set a $103.00 price target on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $96.58.

Insider Activity

In other Unum Group news, CAO Walter Lynn Rice, Jr. sold 900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.50, for a total value of $66,150.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 8,940 shares in the company, valued at $657,090. This trade represents a 9.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Cynthia Egan sold 9,000 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was 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 trade represents a 17.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 14,400 shares of company stock worth $1,049,760. 0.92% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Unum Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UNM opened at $71.68 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.37 and a quick ratio of 0.37. The company has a market cap of $11.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.20. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $75.96 and its two-hundred day moving average is $75.30. Unum Group has a 1-year low of $66.81 and a 1-year high of $84.48.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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). Unum Group had a return on equity of 12.62% and a net margin of 5.65%.The company had revenue of $3.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.29 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.03 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Unum Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.600-8.900 EPS. Analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th were given a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 30th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 43.29%.

Unum Group announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, December 4th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to reacquire up to 8.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Unum Group Profile

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.