Unum Group’s (UNM) Outperform Rating Reaffirmed at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods

Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated their outperform rating on shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) in a research report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a $95.00 price target on the financial services provider’s stock.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on UNM. Evercore set a $103.00 target price on Unum Group in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Unum Group from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $115.00 price objective on shares of Unum Group in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Unum Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $94.40.

Unum Group Trading Down 0.2%

UNM opened at $74.33 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.20. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $73.84 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $75.66. Unum Group has a 1-year low of $66.81 and a 1-year high of $83.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.37 and a quick ratio of 0.37.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by ($0.19). Unum Group had a net margin of 5.65% and a return on equity of 12.62%. The company had revenue of $3.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.29 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.03 earnings per share. Unum Group’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. Unum Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.600-8.900 EPS. Analysts expect that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, January 30th were given a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 30th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.29%.

Unum Group announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Thursday, December 4th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to purchase up to 8.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at Unum Group

In other Unum Group news, EVP Christopher W. Pyne sold 4,852 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.47, for a total value of $351,624.44. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 52,268 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,787,861.96. This represents a 8.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Cynthia Egan sold 9,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.00, for a total transaction of $657,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 42,846 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,127,758. This trade represents a 17.36% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 21,852 shares of company stock valued at $1,590,734 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Unum Group

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Unum Group by 4.2% in 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 during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Unum Group by 5.7% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,781 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $218,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its position in shares of Unum Group by 36.2% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 587 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 156 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 worth $2,934,000 after buying an additional 159 shares during the period. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System grew its stake in shares of Unum Group by 0.3% in the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 49,017 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,813,000 after buying an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.