Should Value Investors Buy Unum Group (UNM) Stock?

Zacks
11 Feb

Here at Zacks, our focus is on the proven Zacks Rank system, which emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find great stocks. Nevertheless, we are always paying attention to the latest value, growth, and momentum trends to underscore strong picks.

Looking at the history of these trends, perhaps none is more beloved than value investing. This strategy simply looks to identify companies that are being undervalued by the broader market. Value investors use tried-and-true metrics and fundamental analysis to find companies that they believe are undervalued at their current share price levels.

Luckily, Zacks has developed its own Style Scores system in an effort to find stocks with specific traits. Value investors will be interested in the system's "Value" category. Stocks with both "A" grades in the Value category and high Zacks Ranks are among the strongest value stocks on the market right now.

Unum Group (UNM) is a stock many investors are watching right now. UNM is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) and an A for Value. The stock holds a P/E ratio of 8.43, while its industry has an average P/E of 13.03. Over the last 12 months, UNM's Forward P/E has been as high as 8.63 and as low as 5.73, with a median of 6.30.

Investors will also notice that UNM has a PEG ratio of 1.17. This popular figure is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also considers a company's expected EPS growth rate. UNM's industry has an average PEG of 1.76 right now. Over the last 12 months, UNM's PEG has been as high as 1.27 and as low as 0.72, with a median of 0.99.

Another notable valuation metric for UNM is its P/B ratio of 1.28. The P/B ratio pits a stock's market value against its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. This stock's P/B looks solid versus its industry's average P/B of 1.95. Over the past 12 months, UNM's P/B has been as high as 1.29 and as low as 0.88, with a median of 1.

Value investors also use the P/S ratio. The P/S ratio is is calculated as price divided by sales. Some people prefer this metric because sales are harder to manipulate on an income statement. This means it could be a truer performance indicator. UNM has a P/S ratio of 1.08. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 1.47.

Finally, our model also underscores that UNM has a P/CF ratio of 7.50. This metric takes into account a company's operating cash flow and can be used to find stocks that are undervalued based on their solid cash outlook. This stock's P/CF looks attractive against its industry's average P/CF of 10.67. Over the past 52 weeks, UNM's P/CF has been as high as 7.91 and as low as 5.96, with a median of 7.14.

These are just a handful of the figures considered in Unum Group's great Value grade. Still, they help show that the stock is likely being undervalued at the moment. Add this to the strength of its earnings outlook, and we can clearly see that UNM is an impressive value stock right now.

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Disclaimer: Investing carries risk. This is not financial advice. The above content should not be regarded as an offer, recommendation, or solicitation on acquiring or disposing of any financial products, any associated discussions, comments, or posts by author or other users should not be considered as such either. It is solely for general information purpose only, which does not consider your own investment objectives, financial situations or needs. TTM assumes no responsibility or warranty for the accuracy and completeness of the information, investors should do their own research and may seek professional advice before investing.

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