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

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $64.97 and last traded at $64.87, with a volume of 910260 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $64.08.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on UNM. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Unum Group from $65.00 to $63.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Unum Group from $72.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Unum Group from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. UBS Group raised Unum Group to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Unum Group from $69.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $66.09.

Unum Group Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $11.85 billion, a PE ratio of 6.95, a P/E/G ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.28 and a quick ratio of 0.28. The business’s 50 day moving average is $59.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $54.76.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $3.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.26 billion. Unum Group had a net margin of 13.76% and a return on equity of 15.21%. The firm’s revenue was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.94 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Unum Group will post 8.52 EPS for the current year.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 25th will be issued a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 25th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.59%. Unum Group’s payout ratio is 18.18%.

Unum Group announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, July 30th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the financial services provider to buy up to 10% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other Unum Group news, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 67,795 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.98, for a total value of $3,727,369.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,065,868 shares in the company, valued at approximately $58,601,422.64. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Unum Group news, EVP Timothy Gerald Arnold sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.11, for a total transaction of $541,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 64,821 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,507,464.31. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 67,795 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.98, for a total value of $3,727,369.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,065,868 shares in the company, valued at approximately $58,601,422.64. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 82,795 shares of company stock valued at $4,589,269. Insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Unum Group by 54.2% in the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 78,514 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,150,000 after buying an additional 27,599 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in shares of Unum Group by 116.3% in the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 34,606 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,857,000 after purchasing an additional 18,604 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its position in shares of Unum Group by 3.9% in the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 60,195 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,230,000 after purchasing an additional 2,280 shares during the period. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unum Group in the first quarter worth $129,000. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Unum Group by 625.0% during the 1st quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 5,800 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $311,000 after purchasing an additional 5,000 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

About Unum Group

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.