Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Stock Rating Lowered by Wall Street Zen

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) was downgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Unum Group from $85.00 to $80.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. UBS Group cut 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 report on Friday, February 20th. Evercore set a $103.00 target price on shares of Unum Group in a report on Friday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Unum Group from $92.00 to $90.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Unum Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $94.40.

Unum Group Price Performance

Unum Group stock opened at $73.64 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.33, a PEG ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.20. Unum Group has a one year low of $66.81 and a one year high of $84.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.37 and a quick ratio of 0.37. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $75.34 and a 200-day moving average price of $75.37.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by ($0.19). The company had revenue of $3.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.29 billion. Unum Group had a net margin of 5.65% and a return on equity of 12.62%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.03 earnings per share. Unum Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.600-8.900 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current year.

Unum Group announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Thursday, December 4th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the financial services provider to buy up to 8.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity at Unum Group

In other news, CAO Walter Lynn Rice, Jr. sold 900 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.50, for a total transaction of $66,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 8,940 shares in the company, valued at approximately $657,090. This represents a 9.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Cynthia Egan sold 9,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.00, for a total value of $657,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 42,846 shares in the company, valued at $3,127,758. The trade was a 17.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 14,400 shares of company stock worth $1,049,760 in the last ninety days. 0.92% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Unum Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. SHP Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Unum Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Kera Capital Partners Inc. bought a new stake in Unum Group in the fourth quarter valued at $463,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Unum Group by 52.1% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 199,133 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $15,433,000 after acquiring an additional 68,176 shares in the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its position in Unum Group by 88.0% during the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 540,144 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $42,067,000 after purchasing an additional 252,870 shares during the period. Finally, First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. increased its position in Unum Group by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 21,140 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,638,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

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.