BTC Capital Management Inc. Grows Stock Position in Unum Group $UNM

BTC Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 12.7% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 80,980 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 9,144 shares during the period. BTC Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $6,298,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Unum Group in the second quarter valued at $1,113,353,000. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Unum Group by 7.0% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,341,589 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $271,862,000 after purchasing an additional 219,076 shares during the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its holdings in Unum Group by 63.7% in 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 buying an additional 978,937 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its stake in Unum Group by 3.6% during the second quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,482,096 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $119,235,000 after buying an additional 51,750 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. lifted its holdings in Unum Group by 18.4% during the 2nd quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 1,125,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $90,855,000 after buying an additional 175,000 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on UNM shares. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Unum Group in a report on Friday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Unum Group from $98.00 to $104.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective 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. Evercore set a $103.00 price target on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $85.00 price objective on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Unum Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $97.69.

Unum Group Price Performance

Shares of Unum Group stock opened at $71.64 on Friday. Unum Group has a 1-year low of $66.81 and a 1-year high of $84.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.20. The company has a current ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $76.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $75.17.

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

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 30th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 43.29%.

Unum Group announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Thursday, December 4th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to buy up to 8.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Walter Lynn Rice, Jr. sold 900 shares of the company’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 in the company, valued at approximately $657,090. This represents a 9.15% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Steven Andrew Zabel sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.38, for a total value of $572,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 113,807 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,692,578.66. This represents a 6.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.92% 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.