Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Reaches New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $83.46 and last traded at $82.8170, with a volume of 107164 shares. The stock had previously closed at $81.64.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNM has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Unum Group in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Zacks Research upgraded Unum Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Unum Group from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Friday, March 27th. UBS Group increased their price target on Unum Group from $81.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a “moderate buy” rating and issued a $95.00 price target on shares of Unum Group in a report on Thursday, March 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Unum Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $93.25.

Unum Group Trading Up 1.3%

The stock has a market capitalization of $13.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.98, a P/E/G ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.35. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $76.51 and a 200-day moving average of $76.06.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The financial services provider reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.07. Unum Group had a return on equity of 12.60% and a net margin of 5.86%.The firm had revenue of $3.36 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.91 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.04 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Unum Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.600-8.90 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Unum Group will post 8.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 24th were paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 24th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.00%.

Insider Activity at Unum Group

In other news, Director Cynthia Egan sold 9,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.00, for a total transaction of $657,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 42,846 shares in the company, valued at $3,127,758. This trade represents a 17.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.00, for a total value of $255,500.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 29,453 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,150,069. This represents a 10.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 33,852 shares of company stock valued at $2,552,414. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Unum Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in UNM. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Unum Group in the 4th quarter worth about $1,108,919,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its stake in Unum Group by 63.7% in the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 2,516,126 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $195,704,000 after purchasing an additional 978,937 shares in the last quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI acquired a new position in Unum Group in the fourth quarter worth about $58,860,000. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. grew its stake in Unum Group by 365.3% in the fourth quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 930,534 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $72,116,000 after purchasing an additional 730,534 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Unum Group by 35.1% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,339,289 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $181,622,000 after purchasing an additional 607,684 shares in the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Unum Group

Unum Group (NYSE: UNM) is a leading provider of employee benefits in the United States and selected international markets, specializing in disability, life, accident and critical illness insurance. Through both fully insured and self-funded arrangements, the company offers group coverage designed to protect income and mitigate financial hardship for employees and their families. Its portfolio includes short-term and long-term disability plans, group life and accidental death & dismemberment (AD&D) policies, as well as critical illness and hospital indemnity products.

In addition to its core product lines, Unum Group markets voluntary benefits under its Colonial Life brand, allowing employees to purchase supplemental insurance such as accident, cancer, and dental coverage directly through payroll deductions.