Unum Group (UNM) Stock Price & How to Invest

Short answer

Unum Group (UNM) is one of the largest group disability and employee-benefits insurers in the US, so investing in it is a bet on steady workplace-benefits premium growth, high adjusted returns on equity, and consistent capital return through dividends and buybacks. It is a value-priced, income-oriented insurance holding rather than a growth story.

UNM stock price

As of 2026-07-08, Unum Group (UNM) last closed at $87.74, up 10.7% over the past year. Over the past 52 weeks it has traded between $68.55 and $92.73.

UNM last close
$87.74
1 day
-1.64%
1 month
+0.83%
1 year
+10.69%
52-week range
$68.55 to $92.73
Last close
2026-07-08

Prices are daily closing prices from Yahoo Finance and may be delayed. For the live quote, check your broker or Unum Group's investor relations page. Walnut is informational, not investment advice.

What does Unum Group (UNM) do?

Unum Group is a Chattanooga, Tennessee based insurance holding company that sells group and voluntary employee benefits, with a core focus on long-term and short-term disability, group life, accidental death, dental, and supplemental products distributed largely through employers. It operates through several segments including Unum US, Colonial Life (voluntary benefits sold at the worksite), Unum International (mainly the UK and Poland), and a Closed Block that houses legacy long-term-care and individual disability policies in runoff. It is widely described as the leading provider of workplace disability coverage in the United States, generating the bulk of its premium from employer-sponsored plans.

The investment picture centers on stable, recurring premium income, disciplined underwriting, and strong capital generation rather than rapid top-line expansion. For full-year 2025 Unum reported roughly $13.1 billion in total revenue, adjusted operating income near $1.4 billion (about $8.13 per diluted share), and an adjusted operating return on equity around 20.5 percent, while returning capital via a growing dividend and share repurchases. The main variables investors weigh are employment and wage growth (which drive covered payrolls and premiums), interest rates and investment income, disability claim experience, and the adequacy of reserves behind the legacy long-term-care block.

What's driving Unum Group (UNM)?

1. Leading position in workplace disability and voluntary benefits

Unum is generally regarded as the largest group disability insurer in the US, with deep employer relationships across disability, group life, and Colonial Life voluntary products. This scale supports recurring premium income and pricing discipline, and management has pointed to sales growth in core operations as employers continue to add supplemental benefits.

2. High return on equity and strong capital return

Adjusted operating return on equity has run around 20 percent, well above many life and health peers. That profitability funds a rising dividend (raised roughly 10 percent to about $0.505 per quarter in 2026) plus meaningful buybacks, with roughly $398.6 million of repurchases completed across two programs reported alongside recent results.

3. Steady premium and earnings growth

Core operations premium growth in the low-to-mid single digits on a constant-currency basis, combined with buybacks that shrink the share count, has driven mid-to-high single-digit adjusted EPS growth. Q1 2026 results beat expectations, with revenue near $3.36 billion and EPS of about $2.14.

4. Improving legacy long-term-care picture

The Closed Block of long-term-care policies has historically been an overhang, but Unum has taken reserve actions and pursued reinsurance and rate increases to reduce risk. Continued progress here removes a key discount that has weighed on the valuation.

What are the risks to Unum Group (UNM)?

Unum's earnings are sensitive to the economy and employment, since rising unemployment can both lower covered payrolls and increase disability and leave claims. The legacy long-term-care block remains a long-tail risk if policyholders live longer or use more care than reserves assume, potentially requiring additional charges. Lower interest rates would pressure investment income that supports benefit reserves, and pricing competition in group benefits could compress margins. As a value-and-income name, the stock also tends to lag in strong growth-led markets, and adverse claim trends or reserve revisions can cause sharp moves.

How is Unum Group (UNM) valued? (approximate, JULY 2026)

A simple financial snapshot. These are approximations and refresh quarterly; for current figures see Unum Group's investor relations page or your broker.

  • Market cap: ~$14.4B
  • Revenue (FY2025): ~$13.1B
  • Net income (FY2025, GAAP): ~$642M
  • Adjusted operating EPS (FY2025): ~$8.13
  • P/E (TTM): ~17-20x
  • Dividend (annualized): ~$2.02, ~2% yield

Unum trades at a below-market earnings multiple typical of insurers, reflecting its value-and-income profile and the historical discount tied to legacy long-term-care exposure. The roughly 20 percent adjusted operating return on equity and consistent capital return are the main supports for the valuation, while reserve adequacy and employment trends are the swing factors.

Who competes with Unum Group (UNM)?

Large group-benefits insurers

MetLife, The Hartford, Lincoln Financial, Prudential, and Sun Life compete directly for employer group disability, life, and leave-management business, often bundling benefits with broader insurance and retirement offerings and larger balance sheets.

Voluntary and supplemental specialists

Aflac is Unum's chief rival in voluntary and worksite supplemental benefits (accident, critical illness, cancer), competing with Colonial Life, alongside Guardian and Reliance Standard which serve overlapping disability and supplemental markets.

Disability and life focused carriers

The Standard (StanCorp), New York Life, and Principal target similar group and individual disability and life segments, competing on pricing, claims service, and distribution relationships with brokers and employers.

How to invest in Unum Group (UNM)

There are three common ways to get UNM exposure. Buy shares (or fractional shares) directly at any major broker. Hold an ETF that includes it, which spreads the position across many companies. Or build it into a focused thematic basket, so UNM sits alongside other stocks that express the same thesis.

Walnut takes the basket route. Describe a thesis where UNM fits (for example “AI infrastructure” or “dividend-growth large-caps”) and the AI proposes 5 to 6 constituents with target weights. You review the plan and fund it through your own broker when you're ready.

The bottom line on Unum Group (UNM)

Unum is a durable, cash-generative benefits insurer trading at a modest earnings multiple, with the investment picture hinging on employment trends, long-term-care reserve adequacy, and continued capital return.

More on Unum Group (UNM)

Whether UNM is worth buying today depends more on your time horizon and what you already hold than on any single call. We walk through valuation, what would have to go right, and the risks in is UNM a buy?, and where the stock could go from here in the UNM stock forecast.

For income investors, whether UNM pays a dividend and how the payout looks is covered in does UNM pay a dividend?

Build a basket around UNM with Walnut

Use Unum Group as one constituent in a thematic basket Walnut's AI helps you assemble. Describe a thesis you believe in, the AI proposes the holdings and weights, and you approve before any broker order.

FAQ

What does Unum Group do?

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Unum is an insurance holding company that sells employee benefits, mainly group and individual disability, group life, accidental death, dental, and voluntary supplemental products. It distributes largely through employers under brands including Unum and Colonial Life, and operates in the US, UK, and Poland.

Is Unum Group a large company?

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Yes. Unum has a market capitalization of roughly $14 billion and generated about $13.1 billion of total revenue in full-year 2025. It is widely considered the largest provider of group disability insurance in the United States.

Does Unum Group pay a dividend?

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Yes. Unum pays a quarterly dividend and has raised it consistently, increasing it roughly 10 percent to about $0.505 per share (around $2.02 annualized) starting in the third quarter of 2026, for a yield near 2 percent based on a mid-2026 share price around $90.

How did Unum perform in its most recent quarter?

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In Q1 2026 Unum reported total revenue of about $3.36 billion and net income near $232 million, up from roughly $189 million a year earlier, with adjusted EPS of about $2.14 that beat analyst estimates. Sales growth in core operations was in the double digits.

What is Unum's biggest risk?

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The two most cited risks are its legacy long-term-care block, which can require additional reserves if claims or longevity assumptions worsen, and economic sensitivity, since rising unemployment can reduce covered payrolls and increase disability and leave claims.

What is the long-term-care Closed Block?

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It is a portfolio of older long-term-care and individual disability policies that Unum no longer sells but must continue to service. Unum has taken reserve actions, pursued reinsurance, and sought rate increases to reduce the risk this legacy block poses to earnings and capital.

Who are Unum's main competitors?

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In group benefits Unum competes with MetLife, The Hartford, Lincoln Financial, Prudential, and Sun Life. In voluntary and supplemental products its Colonial Life unit competes with Aflac, Guardian, and Reliance Standard, while carriers like The Standard and Principal overlap in disability and life.

Is Unum considered a value or growth stock?

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Unum is generally viewed as a value-and-income stock. It trades at a below-market P/E in the high-teens to low-20s, earns a high adjusted return on equity around 20 percent, and returns capital through a growing dividend and buybacks, rather than delivering rapid revenue growth.

Walnut is informational, not investment advice. Financial figures on this page are approximations; always verify current numbers with Unum Group's investor relations page or your broker before making investment decisions.