Hennessy Advisors Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Hennessy Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 44.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 106,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 32,400 shares during the period. Hennessy Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Unum Group were worth $5,688,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Unum Group during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $305,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Unum Group by 65.8% during the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 193,724 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $9,529,000 after acquiring an additional 76,851 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its position in shares of Unum Group by 106.3% during the 3rd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 43,315 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,139,000 after acquiring an additional 22,317 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC raised its position in shares of Unum Group by 7.4% during the 3rd quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 296,972 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $14,608,000 after purchasing an additional 20,469 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp raised its position in shares of Unum Group by 25.8% during the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 240,376 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $11,824,000 after purchasing an additional 49,345 shares during the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Christopher W. Pyne sold 4,500 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.47, for a total transaction of $236,115.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 56,262 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,952,067.14. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Christopher W. Pyne sold 4,500 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.47, for a total transaction of $236,115.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 56,262 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,952,067.14. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Timothy F. Keaney sold 8,000 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.61, for a total transaction of $420,880.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 37,505 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,973,138.05. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Trading Up 0.6 %

UNM stock traded up $0.29 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $50.72. The stock had a trading volume of 1,069,090 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,268,219. The firm has a market cap of $9.60 billion, a PE ratio of 7.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.28 and a quick ratio of 0.28. Unum Group has a 12-month low of $41.75 and a 12-month high of $54.57. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $51.66 and its 200 day moving average price is $49.64.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.97 by $0.15. Unum Group had a net margin of 10.52% and a return on equity of 16.02%. The company had revenue of $3.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.20 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.87 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Unum Group will post 8.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 26th were paid a dividend of $0.365 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 25th. This represents a $1.46 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.88%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.69%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on UNM. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Unum Group from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Unum Group from $64.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Unum Group from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Unum Group from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Unum Group from $57.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $57.44.

Unum Group Company Profile

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 segment. 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.