Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Receives $97.08 Consensus Price Target from Analysts

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the fourteen brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eight have issued a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $97.6923.

UNM has been the topic of several research reports. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Friday. Morgan Stanley set a $85.00 target price on shares of Unum Group in a report on Monday, December 15th. Evercore set a $103.00 price target on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Unum Group from $92.00 to $90.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of Unum Group in a report on Monday, January 5th.

Insider Activity at Unum Group

In other Unum Group news, 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 in the company, valued at $657,090. The trade was a 9.15% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Steven Andrew Zabel sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.38, for a total transaction of $572,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 113,807 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,692,578.66. This represents a 6.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.93% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Unum Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UNM. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Unum Group during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Unum Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new position in Unum Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Ancora Advisors LLC increased its stake in Unum Group by 385.2% in the third quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 427 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 339 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC raised its holdings in Unum Group by 44.0% during the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 537 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares in the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unum Group Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of Unum Group stock opened at $71.77 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $76.90 and a 200 day moving average of $75.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.89, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.20. Unum Group has a fifty-two week low of $66.81 and a fifty-two week high of $84.48.

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

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 30th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Unum Group’s payout ratio is currently 43.29%.

Unum Group announced that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Thursday, December 4th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to purchase up to 8.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Unum Group Company Profile

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.