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

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $84.48 and last traded at $83.92, with a volume of 166517 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $83.34.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on UNM shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Unum Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Raymond James upgraded Unum Group from a “market perform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $108.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on Unum Group from $90.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $79.00 price objective (up from $74.00) on shares of Unum Group in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on shares of Unum Group from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Unum Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $86.62.

Unum Group Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $77.35 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $70.86. The stock has a market cap of $14.56 billion, a PE ratio of 8.69, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.74.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last posted its earnings results 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 return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 13.81%. On average, equities analysts expect that Unum Group will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

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

Unum Group declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, February 18th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to repurchase up to 7.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.99, for a total transaction of $4,099,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 980,637 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $80,402,427.63. The trade was a 4.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.75, for a total value of $579,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,284 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,588,751. The trade was a 18.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its position in Unum Group by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 6,536 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $478,000 after buying an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Unum Group by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 18,211 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,330,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in 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 purchasing an additional 160 shares during the period. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 179 shares during the period. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 13,336 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $974,000 after buying an additional 189 shares during the period. 86.57% of the stock is 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.