Vestcor Inc Has $11.68 Million Stake in Unum Group $UNM

Vestcor Inc reduced its position in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 19.2% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 150,129 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 35,578 shares during the quarter. Vestcor Inc’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $11,677,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNM. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Unum Group during the second quarter worth $1,113,353,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH raised its stake in Unum Group by 63.7% in the 3rd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 2,516,126 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $195,704,000 after purchasing an additional 978,937 shares in the last quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc grew its position in shares of Unum Group by 762.9% during the 2nd quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc now owns 712,206 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $57,518,000 after purchasing an additional 629,665 shares in the last quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC raised its position in shares of Unum Group by 66.4% in the second quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 760,765 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $61,439,000 after buying an additional 303,500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Unum Group by 508.0% in the second quarter. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC now owns 294,088 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $23,751,000 after buying an additional 245,718 shares during the period. 86.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Citigroup restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Unum Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday. Zacks Research lowered shares of Unum Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Unum Group in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Unum Group from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $94.40.

Unum Group Price Performance

UNM stock opened at $73.64 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $12.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 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 company has a 50 day simple moving average of $75.34 and a 200 day simple moving average of $75.45. Unum Group has a 1 year low of $66.81 and a 1 year high of $84.48.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last posted its 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 company had revenue of $3.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.29 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.03 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Unum Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.600-8.900 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

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

Unum Group declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase 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 typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Timothy F. Keaney sold 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.58, for a total value of $326,610.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 38,592 shares in the company, valued at $2,801,007.36. This represents a 10.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, 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 completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 8,940 shares in the company, valued at $657,090. This trade represents a 9.15% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 14,400 shares of company stock worth $1,049,760 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

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.