Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Sets New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

Shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $95.18 and last traded at $94.9220, with a volume of 88199 shares. The stock had previously closed at $92.80.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group set a $94.00 price target on shares of Unum Group in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Unum Group from $117.00 to $123.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Atlantic Securities set a $88.00 target price on shares of Unum Group in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Unum Group from $100.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Unum Group from $87.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 24th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Unum Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $99.42.

Unum Group Stock Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average of $89.53 and a 200-day moving average of $82.75. The company has a current ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.27.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The financial services provider reported $2.16 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.16. The company had revenue of $3.39 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.90 billion. Unum Group had a return on equity of 12.60% and a net margin of 5.26%.Unum Group’s quarterly revenue was up .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.92 earnings per share. Unum Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.600-8.900 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 8.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 24th were paid a dividend of $0.505 per share. This represents a $2.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 24th. This is a positive change from Unum Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.09%.

Unum Group declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, August 26th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to reacquire up to 7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Unum Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Unum Group in the fourth quarter valued at $247,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Unum Group by 157.4% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,851 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $149,000 after buying an additional 1,132 shares during the period. Baird Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in Unum Group by 26.6% during the 2nd quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 7,939 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $641,000 after acquiring an additional 1,666 shares in the last quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. increased its stake in Unum Group by 13.2% in the 2nd quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 6,445 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $520,000 after buying an additional 753 shares during the period. Finally, Cresset Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 6.1% during the second quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 6,715 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $542,000 after acquiring an additional 386 shares in the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Unum Group Company Profile

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.