Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd Lowers Holdings in Unum Group $UNM

Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd trimmed its position in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 84.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,414 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 7,969 shares during the quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $110,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in UNM. Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its position in Unum Group by 22.9% in the 3rd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 49,907 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,882,000 after acquiring an additional 9,300 shares in the last quarter. AlphaCore Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Unum Group by 6.0% during the third quarter. AlphaCore Capital LLC now owns 104,063 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $8,094,000 after buying an additional 5,875 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE boosted its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 97,275 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $7,566,000 after acquiring an additional 1,268 shares during the last quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. bought a new stake in shares of Unum Group in the third quarter worth approximately $1,395,000. Finally, MAI Capital Management raised its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 2,150.4% during the third quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 57,834 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,498,000 after purchasing an additional 55,264 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Unum Group

In other Unum Group news, CAO Walter Lynn Rice, Jr. sold 900 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 9th. The shares were 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 approximately $657,090. The trade was a 9.15% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Cynthia Egan sold 9,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.00, for a total transaction of $657,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 42,846 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,127,758. The trade was a 17.36% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 14,400 shares of company stock valued at $1,049,760. Corporate insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Trading Down 2.9%

Shares of NYSE:UNM opened at $71.68 on Monday. Unum Group has a 12-month low of $66.81 and a 12-month high of $84.48. The company has a market cap of $11.74 billion, a PE ratio of 16.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.20. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $75.96 and a 200 day moving average of $75.33. The company has a current ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.92 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $3.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.29 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.03 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Unum Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.600-8.900 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current year.

Unum Group announced that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Thursday, December 4th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to reacquire up to 8.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th were issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 30th. Unum Group’s payout ratio is 43.29%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on UNM shares. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Unum Group in a report on Friday, February 6th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Unum Group from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday. UBS Group lowered their target price on Unum Group from $85.00 to $81.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 20th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Unum Group from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Unum Group from $92.00 to $90.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Unum Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $96.58.

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.