Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Invests $4.36 Million in Unum Group $UNM

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 48,714 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $4,355,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Prosperity Consulting Group LLC boosted its position in Unum Group by 1.6% during the first quarter. Prosperity Consulting Group LLC now owns 8,157 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $596,000 after buying an additional 128 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 1.9% in the first quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 7,922 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $579,000 after buying an additional 144 shares during the period. WPG Advisers LLC increased its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 12.5% in the second quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 1,301 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $116,000 after buying an additional 145 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Unum Group by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,781 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $218,000 after acquiring an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Unum Group by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 37,864 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,934,000 after acquiring an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Price Performance

Shares of UNM opened at $92.77 on Thursday. Unum Group has a fifty-two week low of $69.02 and a fifty-two week high of $94.55. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $89.53 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $82.75. The stock has a market cap of $14.69 billion, a PE ratio of 21.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a current ratio of 0.34.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The financial services provider reported $2.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.16. Unum Group had a net margin of 5.26% and a return on equity of 12.60%. The firm had revenue of $3.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.90 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.92 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up .3% on a year-over-year basis. Unum Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.600-8.900 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Unum Group will post 8.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group announced that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Wednesday, August 26th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the financial services provider to repurchase up to 7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Unum Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 24th were paid a dividend of $0.505 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 24th. This is a positive change from Unum Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $2.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.09%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on UNM shares. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Unum Group from $87.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 24th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Unum Group from $100.00 to $101.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on shares of Unum Group from $110.00 to $108.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. UBS Group set a $94.00 target price on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Unum Group from $101.00 to $98.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Unum Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $99.42.

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.