Q1 Earnings Estimate for Unum Group Issued By Zacks Research

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research reduced their Q1 2026 earnings estimates for Unum Group in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, March 25th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the financial services provider will post earnings of $2.08 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $2.11. Zacks Research currently has a “Strong Sell” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Unum Group’s current full-year earnings is $9.14 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Unum Group’s Q2 2026 earnings at $2.18 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $2.23 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $2.28 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $8.76 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $2.30 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $9.72 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $10.72 EPS.

A number of other research firms also recently commented on UNM. Wall Street Zen downgraded Unum Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, March 7th. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Evercore set a $103.00 price objective on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a “moderate buy” rating and set a $95.00 price objective on shares of Unum Group in a report on Thursday. Finally, 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 report on Friday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Unum Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $94.40.

Unum Group Stock Down 2.1%

Unum Group stock opened at $72.87 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $73.77 and its 200 day moving average price is $75.67. Unum Group has a 1-year low of $66.81 and a 1-year high of $83.21. The company has a market cap of $11.93 billion, a PE ratio of 17.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.37 and a quick ratio of 0.37.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.92 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by ($0.19). The business had revenue of $3.25 billion during 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%. Unum Group’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.03 EPS. Unum Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.600-8.900 EPS.

Unum Group announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock 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 repurchase up to 8.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Unum Group news, Director Cynthia Egan sold 9,000 shares of Unum Group 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 owned 42,846 shares in the company, valued at $3,127,758. The trade was a 17.36% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Timothy F. Keaney sold 4,500 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the director directly owned 38,592 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,801,007.36. This represents a 10.44% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 21,852 shares of company stock valued at $1,590,734. 0.92% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Unum Group

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UNM. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC purchased a new position in Unum Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in Unum Group by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 140,209 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $10,867,000 after buying an additional 9,252 shares in the last quarter. SHP Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Unum Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Kera Capital Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Unum Group in the fourth quarter worth $463,000. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its position in shares of Unum Group by 88.0% in the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 540,144 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $42,067,000 after acquiring an additional 252,870 shares in the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Unum Group News

Here are the key news stories impacting Unum Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a “moderate buy” on UNM and maintained a $95 price target (implies ~30% upside versus current levels), supporting a longer‑term constructive view. KBW reaffirmation
• Positive Sentiment: Consensus analyst positioning: several outlets report a consensus “moderate buy” thread among analysts, which can provide support versus more bearish lone ratings. Consensus recommendation
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its FY2028 EPS view modestly (to $10.72 from $10.58) — a longer‑horizon improvement but unlikely to offset near‑term concerns by itself. Zacks FY2028 note
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research cut multiple near‑term quarterly and annual EPS estimates and reiterated a “Strong Sell” rating: Q1 2026 to $2.08 (from $2.11), Q2 2026 to $2.18 (from $2.21), Q3 2026 to $2.23 (from $2.25), Q4 2026 to $2.28 (from $2.31/2.34 reported in notes), FY2026 to $8.76 (from $8.88), and FY2027 to $9.72 (from $9.84). Those downgrades increase near‑term earnings risk and are the primary reason for downward stock pressure. Zacks cuts

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.