Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Rating Lowered to Sell at Wall Street Zen

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Unum Group in a report on Friday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Unum Group from $85.00 to $80.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Weiss Ratings upgraded Unum Group from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Citigroup reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Unum Group in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price objective on Unum Group from $85.00 to $81.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $94.40.

Unum Group Price Performance

Shares of UNM opened at $73.64 on Friday. Unum Group has a 12-month low of $66.81 and a 12-month high of $84.48. The business’s fifty day moving average is $75.34 and its 200 day moving average is $75.45. 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 stock has a market cap of $12.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.20.

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

Unum Group announced that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Thursday, December 4th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to reacquire up to 8.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Unum Group

In related news, CAO Walter Lynn Rice, Jr. sold 900 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.50, for a total transaction of $66,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 8,940 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $657,090. This trade represents a 9.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Cynthia Egan sold 9,000 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.00, for a total value of $657,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 42,846 shares in the company, valued at $3,127,758. This trade represents a 17.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 14,400 shares of company stock worth $1,049,760 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. SHP Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Unum Group in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Kera Capital Partners Inc. bought a new position in Unum Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $463,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Unum Group by 52.1% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 199,133 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $15,433,000 after buying an additional 68,176 shares during the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its holdings in Unum Group by 88.0% during 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 buying an additional 252,870 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. raised its position in Unum Group by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 21,140 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,638,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares during the period. 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.