Zacks Research Has Optimistic View of Unum Group Q1 Earnings

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research lifted their Q1 2025 EPS estimates for shares of Unum Group in a report issued on Monday, April 21st. Zacks Research analyst D. Chatterjee now anticipates that the financial services provider will post earnings of $2.19 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $2.18. The consensus estimate for Unum Group’s current full-year earnings is $9.14 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Unum Group’s Q2 2025 earnings at $2.24 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $2.27 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $2.31 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $9.01 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $2.37 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $2.53 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $2.48 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $2.40 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $9.77 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $2.53 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $10.58 EPS.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on UNM. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Unum Group from $75.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Unum Group from $81.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Unum Group from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Unum Group from $87.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Unum Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Unum Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $88.36.

Unum Group Price Performance

Shares of UNM opened at $78.74 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Unum Group has a twelve month low of $48.38 and a twelve month high of $84.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a 50 day moving average of $77.87 and a 200-day moving average of $73.70.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.14 by ($0.11). Unum Group had a return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 13.81%.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 25th will be given a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 25th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.13%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.74%.

Unum Group declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, February 18th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to buy up to 7.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Unum Group

In other news, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.75, for a total value of $579,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 31,284 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,588,751. The trade was a 18.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.99, for a total transaction of $4,099,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 980,637 shares in the company, valued at approximately $80,402,427.63. This represents a 4.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Unum Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in shares of Unum Group by 4.0% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,558 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $290,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its holdings in Unum Group by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 6,536 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $478,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Unum Group by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 18,211 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,330,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in shares of Unum Group by 26.4% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 766 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. increased its position in shares of Unum Group by 28.8% during the fourth quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 800 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 179 shares during the period. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Unum Group

Unum Group, together with its subsidiaries, provides financial protection benefit solutions primarily in the United States, the United Kingdom, Poland, and internationally. It operates through Unum US, Unum International, Colonial Life, and Closed Block segment. The company offers group long-term and short-term disability, group life, and accidental death and dismemberment products; supplemental and voluntary products, such as individual disability, voluntary benefits, and dental and vision products; and accident, sickness, disability, life, and cancer and critical illness products.