Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. Invests $230,000 in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 3,143 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $230,000.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Barrett & Company Inc. lifted its holdings in Unum Group by 300.0% in the fourth quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 396 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in Unum Group in the third quarter worth about $31,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in Unum Group by 26.4% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 766 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the period. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. lifted its holdings in Unum Group by 28.8% in the fourth quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 800 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares during the period. Finally, Quarry LP lifted its holdings in Unum Group by 4,794.7% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 930 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 911 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNM has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Unum Group from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $91.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $81.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $79.00 price objective (up from $74.00) on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $83.92.

Unum Group Price Performance

Shares of UNM opened at $82.27 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $15.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.80. Unum Group has a fifty-two week low of $48.38 and a fifty-two week high of $83.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.29 and a quick ratio of 0.28. The business’s 50-day moving average is $74.93 and its 200-day moving average is $67.63.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.14 by ($0.11). Unum Group had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 14.91%. Equities research analysts expect that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Tuesday, February 18th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to buy up to 7.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th were issued a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.04%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.74%.

Unum Group 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.