Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have assigned a hold recommendation, eight have given a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $96.5833.

UNM has been the subject of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Unum Group from $92.00 to $90.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley set a $85.00 price objective on shares of Unum Group in a report on Monday, December 15th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $115.00 target price on shares of Unum Group in a report on Monday, January 5th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Unum Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Evercore set a $103.00 price target on Unum Group in a research report on Friday, February 6th.

Unum Group Trading Down 2.9%

Shares of UNM stock opened at $71.68 on Friday. Unum Group has a 12-month low of $66.81 and a 12-month high of $84.48. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $75.96 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $75.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The company has a market capitalization of $11.74 billion, a PE ratio of 16.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.20.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last announced its earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $3.25 billion for 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%.Unum Group’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.03 EPS. Unum Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.600-8.900 EPS. As a group, analysts predict 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. Investors of record on Friday, January 30th were given 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 2.6%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.29%.

Unum Group declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program 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 buy up to 8.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Unum Group news, Director Cynthia Egan sold 9,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.00, for a total transaction of $657,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Walter Lynn Rice, Jr. sold 900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 8,940 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $657,090. The trade was a 9.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 14,400 shares of company stock valued at $1,049,760 over the last quarter. 0.92% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Unum Group

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Unum Group during the 4th quarter worth $1,108,919,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH raised its stake in Unum Group by 63.7% during the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 2,516,126 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $195,704,000 after acquiring an additional 978,937 shares in the last quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI acquired a new position in Unum Group during the fourth quarter worth about $58,860,000. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 365.3% in the fourth quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 930,534 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $72,116,000 after acquiring an additional 730,534 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ensign Peak Advisors Inc boosted its stake in shares of Unum Group by 762.9% in the 2nd quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc now owns 712,206 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $57,518,000 after purchasing an additional 629,665 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.