Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Cut to Sell at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note published on Saturday morning.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently commented on the company. Zacks Research downgraded Unum Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Evercore set a $103.00 price target on shares of Unum Group in a report 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. Morgan Stanley decreased 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 note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $94.40.

Unum Group Price Performance

NYSE UNM opened at $72.81 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $11.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.13, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.37 and a quick ratio of 0.37. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $75.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $75.48. Unum Group has a 1 year low of $66.81 and a 1 year high of $84.48.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last issued 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). The firm had revenue of $3.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.29 billion. Unum Group had a return on equity of 12.62% and a net margin of 5.65%.The business’s revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.03 EPS. Unum Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.600-8.900 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

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

Unum Group announced that its board has approved a stock buyback program 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 reacquire up to 8.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity at Unum Group

In other news, Director Timothy F. Keaney sold 4,500 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.58, for a total transaction of $326,610.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 38,592 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,801,007.36. The trade was a 10.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Cynthia Egan sold 9,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.00, for a total transaction of $657,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 42,846 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,127,758. This represents a 17.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.93% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Unum Group

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unum Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. SHP Wealth Management acquired a new position in Unum Group in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Unum Group during the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new position in Unum Group during the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Ancora Advisors LLC grew its holdings 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 period. 86.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.