Unum Group (UNM): Today's Featured Insurance Winner

Editor's Note: TheStreet ratings do not represent the views of TheStreet's staff or its contributors. Ratings are established by computer based on metrics for performance (which includes growth, stock performance, efficiency and valuation) and risk (volatility and solvency). Companies with poor cash flow or high debt levels tend to earn lower ratings in our model

Unum Group ( UNM) pushed the Insurance industry higher today making it today's featured insurance winner. The industry as a whole closed the day down 1.4%. By the end of trading, Unum Group rose $0.56 (2.0%) to $28.90 on heavy volume. Throughout the day, 3,733,128 shares of Unum Group exchanged hands as compared to its average daily volume of 2,146,600 shares. The stock ranged in a price between $27.91-$29.13 after having opened the day at $28.03 as compared to the previous trading day's close of $28.34. Other companies within the Insurance industry that increased today were: First Acceptance Corporation ( FAC), up 14.0%, National Security Group ( NSEC), up 6.3%, Kingsway Financial Services ( KFS), up 2.9% and StanCorp Financial Group ( SFG), up 2.5%.
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Unum Group, together with its subsidiaries, provides group and individual disability insurance products primarily in the United States and the United Kingdom. Unum Group has a market cap of $7.7 billion and is part of the financial sector. The company has a P/E ratio of 8.9, below the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. Shares are up 36.2% year to date as of the close of trading on Wednesday. Currently there are 4 analysts that rate Unum Group a buy, no analysts rate it a sell, and 10 rate it a hold.

TheStreet Ratings rates Unum Group as a buy. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, solid stock price performance, notable return on equity, attractive valuation levels and growth in earnings per share. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company shows low profit margins.

On the negative front, CoreLogic ( CLGX), down 6.7%, Radian Group ( RDN), down 5.2%, Federated National ( FNHC), down 5.1% and MGIC Investment Corporation ( MTG), down 4.9% , were all laggards within the insurance industry with ACE ( ACE) being today's insurance industry laggard.

For investors not wanting singular stock exposure, ETFs may be of interest. Investors who are bullish on the insurance industry could consider KBW Insurance ETF ( KIE) while those bearish on the insurance industry could consider Proshares Short Financials ( SEF).

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