Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Sets New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $76.45 and last traded at $76.22, with a volume of 364692 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $75.84.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on UNM. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Unum Group from $65.00 to $63.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Unum Group from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Evercore ISI upgraded Unum Group from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $67.00 to $84.00 in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Barclays increased their target price on Unum Group from $72.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $69.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $67.73.

Unum Group Trading Up 0.5 %

The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $63.86 and its 200-day simple moving average is $56.71. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company has a market capitalization of $13.92 billion, a PE ratio of 8.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.76.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $3.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.26 billion. Unum Group had a net margin of 13.76% and a return on equity of 15.21%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.94 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Unum Group will post 8.53 EPS for the current year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 25th were given a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 25th. Unum Group’s payout ratio is currently 18.18%.

Unum Group declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Tuesday, July 30th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the financial services provider to purchase up to 10% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Unum Group

In related news, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 approximately $2,602,342.40. This represents a 12.24 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Walter Lynn Rice, Jr. sold 1,500 shares of Unum Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.56, for a total transaction of $104,340.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 8,361 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $581,591.16. This represents a 15.21 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 165,709 shares of company stock valued at $10,956,914. Insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Unum Group

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Quadrature Capital Ltd bought a new position in Unum Group during the 1st quarter worth $1,130,000. BOKF NA increased its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. BOKF NA now owns 41,779 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,251,000 after acquiring an additional 660 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in Unum Group by 5.3% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 105,831 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,679,000 after purchasing an additional 5,356 shares during the last quarter. Caxton Associates LP acquired a new position in Unum Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $260,000. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its stake in Unum Group by 15.8% during the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 107,682 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,777,000 after purchasing an additional 14,674 shares during the period. 86.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.