Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Price Target Cut to $80.00 by Analysts at Morgan Stanley

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) had its target price trimmed by Morgan Stanley from $85.00 to $80.00 in a research report report published on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an equal weight rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Several other research firms have also commented on UNM. Citigroup restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Unum Group in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Unum Group from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Unum Group from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Evercore set a $103.00 price target on Unum Group in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Unum Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Unum Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $95.64.

Unum Group Stock Down 2.0%

Shares of UNM stock opened at $70.69 on Tuesday. Unum Group has a twelve month low of $66.81 and a twelve month high of $84.48. The stock has a market cap of $11.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.20. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $75.65 and a 200 day moving average of $75.35. The company has a current ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last released 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). 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 revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.03 EPS. Unum Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.600-8.900 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

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

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

Insider Transactions at Unum Group

In related news, Director Timothy F. Keaney sold 4,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.58, for a total transaction of $326,610.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 38,592 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,801,007.36. The trade was a 10.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Walter Lynn Rice, Jr. sold 900 shares of the 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 directly owned 8,940 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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. Insiders have sold 14,400 shares of company stock valued at $1,049,760 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Unum Group

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Unum Group by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,484 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $271,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. NDVR Inc. raised its stake in shares of Unum Group by 3.3% in the 2nd quarter. NDVR Inc. now owns 4,526 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $366,000 after buying an additional 145 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,781 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $218,000 after buying an additional 149 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its stake in Unum Group by 36.2% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 587 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in Unum Group by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 37,864 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,934,000 after buying an additional 159 shares in the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.