Unum Group $UNM Shares Purchased by Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 22.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 35,745 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,456 shares during the quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $2,610,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Unum Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. SHP Wealth Management acquired a new position in Unum Group in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC bought a new stake in Unum Group in the first quarter valued at about $29,000. Triumph Capital Management bought a new stake in Unum Group in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Ancora Advisors LLC raised its stake in Unum Group by 385.2% during the third quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 427 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 339 shares in the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on UNM. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $106.00 target price on shares of Unum Group in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Zacks Research raised Unum Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Unum Group from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $117.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $80.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Unum Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $98.09.

Unum Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNM opened at $88.55 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $86.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $79.52. Unum Group has a 52 week low of $68.28 and a 52 week high of $93.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.25, a PEG ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The financial services provider reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $3.36 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.91 billion. Unum Group had a return on equity of 12.60% and a net margin of 5.86%.The business’s revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.04 earnings per share. Unum Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.600-8.90 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Unum Group will post 8.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Unum Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.505 per share. This represents a $2.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. This is a positive change from Unum Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 24th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is 43.91%.

Insider Activity at Unum Group

In related news, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 12,000 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.14, for a total transaction of $961,680.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 42,587 shares in the company, valued at $3,412,922.18. The trade was a 21.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

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.