Unum Group $UNM Shares Purchased by Barclays PLC

Barclays PLC grew its holdings in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 90.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 336,630 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 160,059 shares during the period. Barclays PLC owned approximately 0.20% of Unum Group worth $26,183,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. IFG Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in Unum Group by 1.9% during the third quarter. IFG Advisory LLC now owns 108,509 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $8,440,000 after buying an additional 2,035 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 5.0% in the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,777,880 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $293,837,000 after purchasing an additional 179,401 shares in the last quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Unum Group by 22.4% in the third quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 8,220 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $639,000 after buying an additional 1,505 shares during the period. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Unum Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $287,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in Unum Group by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 523,866 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $40,746,000 after acquiring an additional 26,864 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Stock Down 0.4%

UNM opened at $72.49 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $11.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.06, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.20. 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 firm’s fifty day moving average price is $75.01 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $75.48. Unum Group has a fifty-two week low of $66.81 and a fifty-two week high of $84.48.

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

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, January 30th were paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 30th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.29%.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNM has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $115.00 price objective on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Unum Group from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Unum Group in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased 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, Evercore set a $103.00 price objective on Unum Group in a report on Friday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Unum Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $94.40.

Insider Transactions at Unum Group

In related news, 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 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.00, for a total transaction of $255,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 29,453 shares in the company, valued at $2,150,069. The trade was a 10.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 17,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,239,110 over the last three months. 0.92% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.