United Capital Financial Advisors LLC Buys New Shares in Unum Group $UNM

United Capital Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 15,085 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,349,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Unum Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. SHP Wealth Management bought a new stake in Unum Group in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC bought a new position in Unum Group during the first quarter worth $29,000. Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Unum Group in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Ancora Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 385.2% during the 3rd quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 427 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 339 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded Unum Group from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $100.00 to $101.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Atlantic Securities set a $88.00 price target on shares of Unum Group in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on shares of Unum Group from $110.00 to $108.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, UBS Group set a $94.00 price objective on Unum Group in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $99.42.

Unum Group Price Performance

UNM stock opened at $93.16 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $14.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.72, a P/E/G ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.34 and a quick ratio of 0.34. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $89.40 and a 200 day simple moving average of $82.23. Unum Group has a 1 year low of $68.70 and a 1 year high of $94.55.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The financial services provider reported $2.16 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.16. Unum Group had a return on equity of 12.60% and a net margin of 5.26%.The company had revenue of $3.39 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.90 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.92 EPS. 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 anticipate that Unum Group will post 8.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Wednesday, August 26th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes 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 leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Unum Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 24th were issued a dividend of $0.505 per share. This represents a $2.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 24th. This is a positive change from Unum Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Unum Group’s payout ratio is presently 47.09%.

Unum Group Company 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.