Q1 Earnings Estimate for Unum Group Issued By Zacks Research

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) – Research analysts at Zacks Research decreased their Q1 2026 earnings per share estimates for Unum Group in a research report issued on Wednesday, March 25th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the financial services provider will post earnings of $2.08 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $2.11. Zacks Research currently has a “Strong Sell” rating on the stock. 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 2026 earnings at $2.18 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $2.23 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $2.28 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $8.76 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $2.30 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $9.72 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $10.72 EPS.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last released its quarterly 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 net margin of 5.65% and a return on equity of 12.62%. The firm had revenue of $3.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.29 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.03 EPS. The business’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.

UNM has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Evercore set a $103.00 target price on shares of Unum Group in a report on Friday, February 6th. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Unum Group from $85.00 to $81.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 20th. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Unum Group in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Unum Group from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Unum Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $94.40.

Unum Group Trading Down 0.2%

UNM stock opened at $74.33 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $73.84 and a 200 day moving average price of $75.66. Unum Group has a fifty-two week low of $66.81 and a fifty-two week high of $83.21. The firm has a market cap of $12.17 billion, a PE ratio of 17.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.37.

Unum Group announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Thursday, December 4th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to purchase up to 8.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Cynthia Egan sold 9,000 shares of the company’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 transaction of $657,000.00. Following 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Timothy F. Keaney sold 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.58, for a total value of $326,610.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 38,592 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,801,007.36. The trade was a 10.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 21,852 shares of company stock worth $1,590,734 over the last three months. 0.92% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Unum Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Unum Group in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. SHP Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Unum Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in Unum Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Ancora Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of 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. Finally, Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unum Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Unum Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and a $95 price target, implying significant upside vs. the current share price. KBW Reaffirmation
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts’ consensus remains constructive overall — a recent compilation shows a “Moderate Buy” consensus on UNM, which supports baseline investor demand. Analyst Consensus
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks Research slightly raised its FY2028 EPS view (now $10.72 from $10.58), a longer‑term positive but one that may have limited near‑term impact compared with the cuts to nearer-term guidance. Zacks Notes
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks cut multiple near‑term EPS estimates and kept a “Strong Sell” stance: Q1 2026 to $2.08 (from $2.11), Q2 to $2.18 (from $2.21), Q3 to $2.23 (from $2.25), Q4 2026 to $2.28 (from $2.31/2.34 in different notes), FY2026 to $8.76 (from $8.88) and trimmed FY2027 to $9.72 (from $9.84). Those downward revisions and the negative Zacks rating are the main drivers pressuring the stock today. Zacks Research Cuts

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.