Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Stock Price Down 5.9% on Analyst Downgrade

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)’s share price fell 5.9% during trading on Monday after Wolfe Research lowered their price target on the stock from $102.00 to $100.00. Wolfe Research currently has an outperform rating on the stock. Unum Group traded as low as $87.70 and last traded at $86.9320. 850,807 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 44% from the average daily volume of 1,510,461 shares. The stock had previously closed at $92.34.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $81.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Zacks Research upgraded Unum Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Weiss Ratings raised Unum Group from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Unum Group from $80.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Unum Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 11th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Unum Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $97.27.

Insider Activity

In other Unum Group news, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 12,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.14, for a total transaction of $961,680.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 42,587 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,412,922.18. This trade represents a 21.98% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Unum Group

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. UBS Group AG boosted its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,356,916 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $105,161,000 after purchasing an additional 68,957 shares during the period. Qsemble Capital Management LP lifted its position in Unum Group by 245.9% in the fourth quarter. Qsemble Capital Management LP now owns 106,742 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $8,273,000 after buying an additional 75,885 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in Unum Group by 1,167.7% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 153,696 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $11,911,000 after buying an additional 141,572 shares during the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new position in Unum Group during the fourth quarter worth $2,567,000. Finally, TABR Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Unum Group during the fourth quarter worth $5,768,000. 86.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unum Group Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.35 and a quick ratio of 0.35. The firm has a market cap of $14.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.08, a PEG ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 0.25. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $85.85 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $79.20.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The financial services provider reported $2.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.07. Unum Group had a return on equity of 12.60% and a net margin of 5.86%.The firm had revenue of $3.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.91 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.04 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. Unum Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.600-8.90 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 8.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 24th were issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 24th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 40.00%.

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.