Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Cut to “Strong Sell” at Zacks Research

Zacks Research cut shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday morning,Zacks.com reports. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Unum Group’s Q1 2027 earnings at $2.51 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $2.53 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $2.46 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $10.58 EPS.

UNM has been the subject of several other research reports. Evercore set a $103.00 price objective on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Citigroup reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Morgan Stanley set a $85.00 price objective on Unum Group in a report on Monday, December 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on 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, Weiss Ratings downgraded Unum Group from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $96.58.

Unum Group Stock Performance

NYSE:UNM opened at $71.68 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.74 billion, a PE ratio of 16.87, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.20. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $75.96 and its 200 day moving average is $75.27. Unum Group has a fifty-two week low of $66.81 and a fifty-two week high of $84.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.37.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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). Unum Group had a return on equity of 12.62% and a net margin of 5.65%.The firm had revenue of $3.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.29 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.03 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Unum Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.600-8.900 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Unum Group will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th were paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 30th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 43.29%.

Insider Transactions at Unum Group

In other Unum Group news, Director Cynthia Egan sold 9,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.00, for a total transaction of $657,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 42,846 shares in the company, valued at $3,127,758. This represents a 17.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Walter Lynn Rice, Jr. sold 900 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.50, for a total value of $66,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 8,940 shares in the company, valued at $657,090. This represents a 9.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 14,400 shares of company stock valued at $1,049,760. Company insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Unum Group

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNM. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Unum Group in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unum Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Unum Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Ancora Advisors LLC lifted 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 acquiring an additional 339 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its position in Unum Group by 44.0% during the second 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. 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.