Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Sets New 12-Month High – What’s Next?

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) shares reached a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $80.16 and last traded at $82.30, with a volume of 7737 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $77.28.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNM has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on Unum Group from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Unum Group from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Unum Group from $90.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $79.00 price target (up previously from $74.00) on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Unum Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Unum Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $83.92.

Unum Group Stock Performance

The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $74.93 and its 200 day moving average price is $67.63. The firm has a market cap of $15.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.29 and a quick ratio of 0.28.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.14 by ($0.11). Unum Group had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 14.91%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current year.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th were issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.04%. Unum Group’s payout ratio is presently 17.74%.

Unum Group declared that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Tuesday, February 18th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the financial services provider to purchase up to 7.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its position in Unum Group by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 6,536 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $478,000 after buying an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Unum Group by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 18,211 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,330,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 26.4% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 766 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. raised its stake in Unum Group by 28.8% in the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 800 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares during the period. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its stake in Unum Group by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 5,551 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $330,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.57% of the company’s stock.

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.