Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Releases FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 8.600-8.900 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 8.910. The company issued revenue guidance of -.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on UNM shares. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of Unum Group in a report on Monday, January 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Unum Group from $94.00 to $92.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Unum Group in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $96.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Unum Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $97.08.

Unum Group Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of NYSE UNM traded down $1.23 during trading on Thursday, hitting $75.74. 2,778,440 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,216,587. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.20. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $77.05 and a 200-day moving average price of $75.52. Unum Group has a 1 year low of $66.81 and a 1 year high of $84.48.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.92 earnings per share (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 analysts’ expectations of $3.29 billion. Unum Group had a net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 13.09%. Unum Group’s revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.03 EPS. Unum Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.600-8.900 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current year.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, January 30th will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 30th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio is 35.87%.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Walter Lynn Rice, Jr. sold 900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 8,940 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $657,090. This represents a 9.15% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Steven Andrew Zabel sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.38, for a total value of $572,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 113,807 shares in the company, valued at $8,692,578.66. This trade represents a 6.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 12,400 shares of company stock worth $951,160 over the last ninety days. 0.92% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Unum Group

Here are the key news stories impacting Unum Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage sentiment remains constructive — Unum has an average analyst recommendation of “Moderate Buy,” which could limit downside if forward results stabilize. Unum Group Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy”
• Neutral Sentiment: Company press release and report provide detail on Q4 and outlook; investors should read the release for segment-level trends and reserve commentary that might affect forward earnings quality. Press Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Pre-earnings analyst previews flagged key metrics and areas of focus (claims trends, investment income), useful context for assessing whether the miss was one-off or structural. Wall Street’s Insights on Key Metrics
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 EPS missed estimates ($1.92 reported vs. $2.11–$2.12 expected) and revenue was slightly below consensus ($3.25B vs. ~$3.29B); net income declined to $174.1M — the earnings miss is the primary driver of the stock weakness. UNM Lags Q4 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Management set FY 2026 EPS guidance at $8.60–$8.90, just below the Street consensus (~$8.91). The slightly lower guidance versus expectations increases near-term uncertainty about upside to estimates. (Company guidance announced 2/5/2026.)
• Negative Sentiment: Declining quarterly profitability metrics and the guidance shortfall could pressure valuation multiple near term despite a reasonable P/E (~14.8) and low leverage; monitor subsequent analyst revisions and commentary on claim trends and investment yield. Unum Group Reports Q4 2025 Results and 2026 Outlook

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Unum Group

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Unum Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Ancora Advisors LLC raised its stake in Unum Group by 385.2% during the third quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 427 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 339 shares during the period. Danske Bank A S bought a new position in Unum Group in the third quarter worth about $47,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Unum Group by 157.4% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,851 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $149,000 after acquiring an additional 1,132 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Seven Mile Advisory acquired a new position in Unum Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $203,000. 86.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.