Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Hits New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $78.68 and last traded at $78.01, with a volume of 487665 shares. The stock had previously closed at $75.95.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNM has been the subject of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $79.00 target price (up from $74.00) on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Unum Group from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Unum Group from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Unum Group from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Unum Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $79.45.

Unum Group Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company’s 50-day moving average is $74.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $65.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 0.80.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.14 by ($0.11). Unum Group had a net margin of 13.76% and a return on equity of 15.21%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Unum Group will post 8.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.18%. Unum Group’s payout ratio is 18.18%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.61, for a total transaction of $363,050.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 35,840 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,602,342.40. The trade was a 12.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Timothy Gerald Arnold sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.92, for a total value of $769,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 54,827 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,217,292.84. This trade represents a 15.43 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 98,164 shares of company stock worth $7,346,040 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in UNM. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Unum Group by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,552,252 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $405,481,000 after purchasing an additional 51,744 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Unum Group by 23.3% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,462,917 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $106,837,000 after buying an additional 276,655 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH lifted its position in Unum Group by 44.9% in the 4th quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 1,264,994 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $92,383,000 after buying an additional 392,191 shares in the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Unum Group by 151.7% during the 3rd quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 509,702 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,297,000 after buying an additional 307,175 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 50.0% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 469,342 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,554,000 after acquiring an additional 156,380 shares in the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unum Group Company Profile

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.