Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Given “Outperform” Rating at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)‘s stock had its “outperform” rating reaffirmed by stock analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $95.00 price objective on the financial services provider’s stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods’ target price indicates a potential upside of 27.95% from the company’s previous close.

UNM has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $85.00 to $80.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Unum Group from $85.00 to $81.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Unum Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Unum Group from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Evercore set a $103.00 target price on Unum Group in a report on Friday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Unum Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $94.40.

Unum Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UNM traded down $0.26 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $74.25. 321,609 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,700,600. 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 has a 1 year low of $66.81 and a 1 year high of $83.21. The company’s 50-day moving average is $73.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $75.67. The company has a market capitalization of $12.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.49, a PEG ratio of 1.60 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 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.29 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.03 earnings per share. The company’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. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group declared that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Thursday, December 4th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the financial services provider to purchase up to 8.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Unum Group

In related news, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.00, for a total transaction of $255,500.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 29,453 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,150,069. The trade was a 10.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Cynthia Egan sold 9,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owned 42,846 shares in the company, valued at $3,127,758. This trade represents a 17.36% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 21,852 shares of company stock worth $1,590,734. 0.92% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Unum Group

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Unum Group in the fourth quarter worth about $1,108,919,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH raised its position in shares of Unum Group by 63.7% in the 3rd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 2,516,126 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $195,704,000 after purchasing an additional 978,937 shares in the last quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI acquired a new stake in Unum Group in the fourth quarter valued at $58,860,000. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. lifted its position in shares of Unum Group by 365.3% during the fourth quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 930,534 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $72,116,000 after purchasing an additional 730,534 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Unum Group by 35.1% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,339,289 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $181,622,000 after buying an additional 607,684 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

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.