Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) is D. Scott Neal Inc.’s 4th Largest Position

D. Scott Neal Inc. increased its stake in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 30.2% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 292,952 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 67,992 shares during the quarter. Unum Group comprises about 8.3% of D. Scott Neal Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 4th largest position. D. Scott Neal Inc. owned approximately 0.15% of Unum Group worth $14,973,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNM. Quadrature Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Unum Group in the 1st quarter worth $1,130,000. Boone Capital Management LLC raised its position in Unum Group by 10.8% in the fourth quarter. Boone Capital Management LLC now owns 961,661 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $43,486,000 after acquiring an additional 94,096 shares in the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH lifted its holdings in Unum Group by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 950,914 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $43,000,000 after acquiring an additional 33,454 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Unum Group by 43.0% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 973,480 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $44,021,000 after purchasing an additional 292,917 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Unum Group during the 4th quarter worth $590,489,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on UNM shares. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Unum Group from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. Piper Sandler assumed coverage on Unum Group in a report on Thursday, July 11th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $57.00 price objective for the company. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Unum Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Unum Group from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 26th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $62.00 to $69.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Unum Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $61.78.

Unum Group Trading Down 0.4 %

NYSE:UNM traded down $0.23 on Monday, reaching $53.40. The stock had a trading volume of 667,510 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,262,581. Unum Group has a 12-month low of $41.75 and a 12-month high of $58.17. The company has a market cap of $9.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.93, a P/E/G ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 0.81. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $51.99 and its two-hundred day moving average is $51.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.28 and a quick ratio of 0.28.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.16 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.02 by $0.14. Unum Group had a net margin of 10.40% and a return on equity of 15.55%. The firm had revenue of $3.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.23 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.06 EPS. Unum Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Unum Group will post 8.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, July 30th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to purchase up to 10% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Unum Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 26th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.15%. This is an increase from Unum Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 24.96%.

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.