Neuberger Berman Group LLC Decreases Position in Unum Group $UNM

Neuberger Berman Group LLC lowered its stake in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 36.3% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 484,638 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 276,127 shares during the quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $37,695,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Algebris UK Ltd. grew its holdings in Unum Group by 95.7% during the 3rd quarter. Algebris UK Ltd. now owns 389,463 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,269,000 after purchasing an additional 190,454 shares in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue lifted its holdings in Unum Group by 53.5% in the 3rd quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 69,128 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,376,000 after buying an additional 24,101 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB purchased a new position in Unum Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $14,644,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its stake in shares of Unum Group by 63.7% during the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 2,516,126 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $195,704,000 after acquiring an additional 978,937 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vest Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of Unum Group by 5.5% during the third quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 653,527 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $50,831,000 after acquiring an additional 33,807 shares in the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other Unum Group news, CAO Walter Lynn Rice, Jr. sold 900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.50, for a total value of $66,150.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 8,940 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $657,090. This trade represents a 9.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Cynthia Egan sold 9,000 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the director owned 42,846 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,127,758. The trade was 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 sold 14,400 shares of company stock valued at $1,049,760. Company insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNM has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Unum Group in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Unum Group in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Unum Group from $85.00 to $80.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of Unum Group in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Unum Group from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Unum Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $94.40.

Unum Group Price Performance

Shares of UNM opened at $73.64 on Friday. Unum Group has a 52 week low of $66.81 and a 52 week high of $84.48. The company has a current ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The firm has a market cap of $12.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.33, a PEG ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.20. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $75.34 and a 200-day moving average of $75.37.

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

Unum Group declared that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Thursday, December 4th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the financial services provider to reacquire up to 8.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th were given a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 30th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.29%.

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.