Stock Traders Purchase High Volume of Unum Group Call Options (NYSE:UNM)

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) was the target of unusually large options trading on Monday. Stock investors bought 12,439 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 1,487% compared to the typical daily volume of 784 call options.

Insider Buying and Selling at Unum Group

In related news, EVP Christopher W. Pyne sold 4,852 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.47, for a total transaction of $351,624.44. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 52,268 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,787,861.96. This trade represents a 8.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 12,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.14, for a total value 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 position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Unum Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UNM. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Unum Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,108,919,000. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI bought a new position in Unum Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $58,860,000. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. increased its stake in Unum Group by 365.3% in the fourth quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 930,534 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $72,116,000 after acquiring an additional 730,534 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Unum Group by 35.1% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,339,289 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $181,622,000 after acquiring an additional 607,684 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP increased its stake in Unum Group by 127.3% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 864,485 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $67,240,000 after acquiring an additional 484,107 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE UNM traded up $0.66 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $87.50. The company had a trading volume of 332,735 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,481,255. The company has a market capitalization of $13.98 billion, a PE ratio of 19.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.24. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $79.67 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $76.90. 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 has a one year low of $68.28 and a one year high of $87.81.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The financial services provider reported $2.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $3.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.91 billion. Unum Group had a return on equity of 12.60% and a net margin of 5.86%.Unum Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.04 EPS. Unum Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.600-8.90 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Unum Group will post 8.76 EPS for the current year.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 24th were issued a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 24th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. UBS Group increased their target price on Unum Group from $81.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Bank of America lowered their target price on Unum Group from $83.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Unum Group from $99.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Unum Group from $80.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Truist Financial increased their target price on Unum Group from $88.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Unum Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $93.83.

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.