Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Announces Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.19 EPS

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) issued its earnings results on Thursday. The financial services provider reported $1.92 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.11 by ($0.19), FiscalAI reports. The firm had revenue of $3.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.29 billion. Unum Group had a return on equity of 13.09% and a net margin of 6.99%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.03 earnings per share. Unum Group updated its FY 2026 guidance to 8.600-8.900 EPS.

Unum Group Trading Down 1.6%

NYSE:UNM traded down $1.23 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $75.74. The company had a trading volume of 2,778,440 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,326,243. The firm has a market cap 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 business’s fifty day moving average is $77.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $75.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.36. Unum Group has a fifty-two week low of $66.81 and a fifty-two week high of $84.48.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th will be given a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 30th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.87%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Steven Andrew Zabel sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.38, for a total value of $572,850.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 113,807 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,692,578.66. The trade was a 6.18% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Christopher W. Pyne sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.04, for a total transaction of $312,160.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 51,372 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,009,070.88. This represents a 7.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 12,400 shares of company stock worth $951,160 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.92% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Unum Group

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Unum Group by 35.1% in 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. Two Sigma Investments LP grew its position in shares of Unum Group by 127.3% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 864,485 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $67,240,000 after acquiring an additional 484,107 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its stake in shares of Unum Group by 1,204.4% during the 3rd quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 287,274 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $22,344,000 after purchasing an additional 265,251 shares during the last quarter. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC grew its holdings in Unum Group by 508.0% during the second quarter. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC now owns 294,088 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $23,751,000 after purchasing an additional 245,718 shares during the period. Finally, Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. increased its position in Unum Group by 18.4% in the second quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 1,125,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $90,855,000 after buying an additional 175,000 shares during the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Unum Group announced that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Thursday, December 4th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes 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 management believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on UNM shares. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $96.00 to $99.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Unum Group in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $115.00 price target on shares of Unum Group in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $98.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Unum Group in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $97.08.

Unum Group News Summary

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

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.