Wells Fargo & Company Lowers Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Price Target to $102.00

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) had its price target decreased by stock analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $104.00 to $102.00 in a report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “overweight” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price target points to a potential upside of 38.12% from the stock’s previous close.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Unum Group from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $85.00 to $81.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $115.00 target price on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Unum Group in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Unum Group in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $96.58.

Unum Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UNM opened at $73.85 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $76.11 and its 200 day simple moving average is $75.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.38, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. Unum Group has a 52-week low of $66.81 and a 52-week high of $84.48.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.92 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.11 by ($0.19). The company had revenue of $3.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.29 billion. Unum Group had a net margin of 5.65% and a return on equity of 12.62%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.03 earnings per share. Unum Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.600-8.900 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Thursday, December 4th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to reacquire up to 8.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Timothy F. Keaney sold 4,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.58, for a total transaction of $326,610.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 38,592 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,801,007.36. This trade represents a 10.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Cynthia Egan sold 9,000 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.00, for a total value of $657,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 42,846 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,127,758. This represents a 17.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 14,400 shares of company stock valued at $1,049,760 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Unum Group

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Unum Group during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Unum Group during the second quarter worth $30,000. Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in Unum Group during the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Ancora Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Unum Group by 385.2% in the third quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 427 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 339 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 44.0% during the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 537 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 164 shares during the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.