Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the thirteen ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have issued a hold recommendation, seven have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $94.40.

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on UNM shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded Unum Group from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Unum Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Evercore set a $103.00 price objective on shares of Unum Group in a report on Friday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $85.00 to $80.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd.

Unum Group Stock Performance

Shares of Unum Group stock opened at $74.51 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $73.90 and a 200 day simple moving average of $75.67. Unum Group has a one year low of $66.81 and a one year high of $84.04. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $12.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.53, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.20.

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

Unum Group declared that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Thursday, December 4th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes 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 leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, January 30th were given a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 30th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.29%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Christopher W. Pyne sold 4,852 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.47, for a total transaction of $351,624.44. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 52,268 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,787,861.96. This trade represents a 8.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Timothy F. Keaney sold 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.58, for a total transaction of $326,610.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 38,592 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,801,007.36. This trade represents a 10.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 21,852 shares of company stock valued at $1,590,734 over the last quarter. 0.92% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UNM. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unum Group during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. SHP Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Unum Group in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in Unum Group during the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Ancora Advisors LLC grew its position in Unum Group by 385.2% during the third quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 427 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 339 shares during the period. Finally, Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC purchased a new stake in Unum Group during the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Institutional investors own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

Unum Group Company Profile

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.