Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Hits New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?

Shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $86.35 and last traded at $86.1790, with a volume of 246289 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $84.91.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a “moderate buy” rating and set a $95.00 target price on shares of Unum Group in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Unum Group from $80.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Unum Group in a report on Friday, February 6th. Evercore set a $103.00 target price on shares of Unum Group in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Unum Group from $83.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $93.83.

Unum Group Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $13.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a current ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $79.43 and its 200-day simple moving average is $76.82.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $3.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.91 billion. Unum Group had a net margin of 5.86% and a return on equity of 12.60%. The company’s revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.04 EPS. Unum Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.600-8.90 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Unum Group will post 8.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 24th were issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 24th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Christopher W. Pyne sold 4,852 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.47, for a total value of $351,624.44. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 52,268 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,787,861.96. This trade represents a 8.49% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Elizabeth Claire Ahmed sold 12,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.14, for a total transaction of $961,680.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 42,587 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,412,922.18. This represents a 21.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 20,352 shares of company stock valued at $1,568,804 in the last quarter. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Unum Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. UBS Group AG lifted its position in shares of Unum Group by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,356,916 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $105,161,000 after purchasing an additional 68,957 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in shares of Unum Group by 1,167.7% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 153,696 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $11,911,000 after purchasing an additional 141,572 shares during the period. Qsemble Capital Management LP lifted its position in shares of Unum Group by 245.9% in the 4th quarter. Qsemble Capital Management LP now owns 106,742 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $8,273,000 after purchasing an additional 75,885 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Unum Group by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 5,734,937 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $446,063,000 after purchasing an additional 223,095 shares during the period. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Unum Group in the 4th quarter worth about $1,898,000. 86.57% of the stock is 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.