Swiss National Bank Boosts Holdings in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Swiss National Bank raised its holdings in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 0.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 430,200 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 800 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $20,521,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Unum Group during the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its position in Unum Group by 271.0% during the 1st quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 28,110 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,112,000 after purchasing an additional 20,534 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its stake in Unum Group by 122.4% in the 2nd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,174,537 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $55,920,000 after purchasing an additional 646,428 shares during the last quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC lifted its holdings in Unum Group by 4.4% in the 2nd quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC now owns 5,607 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $267,000 after purchasing an additional 234 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NewSquare Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Unum Group by 4.9% during the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 211,184 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $10,073,000 after purchasing an additional 9,932 shares during the last quarter. 79.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unum Group Trading Up 1.2 %

NYSE UNM opened at $42.60 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.88, a PEG ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a current ratio of 0.29. Unum Group has a one year low of $36.27 and a one year high of $52.15. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $47.65 and its 200 day moving average price is $47.34.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 31st. The financial services provider reported $1.94 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.92 by $0.02. Unum Group had a net margin of 10.07% and a return on equity of 15.54%. The business had revenue of $3.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.11 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.51 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Unum Group will post 7.72 EPS for the current year.

Unum Group declared that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, October 31st that authorizes the company to repurchase $500.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the financial services provider to reacquire up to 5.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 27th were paid a $0.365 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, October 26th. This represents a $1.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.43%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.59%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 15th. StockNews.com raised Unum Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 13th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Unum Group from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 9th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Unum Group from $54.00 to $53.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 15th. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their price target on Unum Group from $59.00 to $54.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 3rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Unum Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $54.50.

About Unum Group

Unum Group, together with its subsidiaries, provides financial protection benefit solutions primarily in the United States, the United Kingdom, Poland, and internationally. It operates through Unum US, Unum International, Colonial Life, and Closed Block and Corporate segments. The company offers group long-term and short-term disability, group life, and accidental death and dismemberment products; supplemental and voluntary products, such as individual disability, voluntary benefits, and dental and vision products; and accident, sickness, disability, life, and cancer and critical illness products.