Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Reaches New 52-Week High – What’s Next?

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $77.65 and last traded at $77.40, with a volume of 249321 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $75.96.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on UNM shares. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $74.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Unum Group from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. UBS Group raised Unum Group to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Barclays raised their price objective on Unum Group from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on Unum Group in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $91.00 target price for the company. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $76.75.

Unum Group Trading Down 1.0 %

The business’s 50-day moving average price is $74.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $64.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.25, a PEG ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.28 and a quick ratio of 0.28.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.03. Unum Group had a return on equity of 15.21% and a net margin of 13.76%. The company had revenue of $3.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.26 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.94 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 8.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.20%. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.18%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Unum Group

In other news, CAO Walter Lynn Rice, Jr. sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.56, for a total value of $104,340.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 8,361 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $581,591.16. The trade was a 15.21 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Timothy Gerald Arnold sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.92, for a total transaction of $769,200.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 54,827 shares in the company, valued at $4,217,292.84. The trade was a 15.43 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 102,914 shares of company stock valued at $7,677,945 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Unum Group

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNM. Convergence Investment Partners LLC raised its stake in Unum Group by 10.3% during the fourth quarter. Convergence Investment Partners LLC now owns 17,737 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,295,000 after acquiring an additional 1,661 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund bought a new stake in Unum Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $675,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Unum Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. bought a new position in Unum Group in the 4th quarter worth about $230,000. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Unum Group by 30.0% in the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,206 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $88,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares during the period. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.