Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Given New $102.00 Price Target at Wells Fargo & Company

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) had its price objective lowered by Wells Fargo & Company from $104.00 to $102.00 in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an overweight rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on UNM. Morgan Stanley set a $85.00 price target on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $115.00 price objective on shares of Unum Group in a report on Monday, January 5th. Evercore set a $103.00 target price on Unum Group in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Citigroup reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Unum Group in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on Unum Group from $85.00 to $81.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Unum Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $96.58.

Unum Group Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of UNM opened at $72.54 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $76.22 and a 200-day moving average price of $75.26. The company has a current ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.20. Unum Group has a 12-month low of $66.81 and a 12-month high of $84.48.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last posted its quarterly 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.29 billion. Unum Group had a return on equity of 12.62% and a net margin of 5.65%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.03 EPS. Unum Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.600-8.900 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Unum Group will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Stockholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 43.29%.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related 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 sale, the director owned 38,592 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,801,007.36. This trade represents a 10.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 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 completion of the transaction, the director owned 42,846 shares in the company, valued at $3,127,758. This trade represents a 17.36% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 14,400 shares of company stock worth $1,049,760 in the last three months. 0.92% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Unum Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,108,919,000. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Unum Group by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 5,734,937 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $446,063,000 after purchasing an additional 223,095 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Unum Group by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,653,246 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $438,127,000 after buying an additional 26,753 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Unum Group by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,791,712 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $293,868,000 after buying an additional 13,832 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Unum Group by 7.0% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,341,589 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $271,862,000 after buying an additional 219,076 shares in the last quarter. 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.