UNUM vs AFL Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
Unum and Aflac both operate in supplemental and workplace benefits insurance, but Unum focuses primarily on U.S. employer-sponsored disability, life, and supplemental health products, while Aflac's business is anchored by a large, long-established Japan operation alongside its U.S. supplemental insurance business.
Unum offers a more concentrated bet on the U.S. employer-sponsored disability and benefits market, while Aflac offers a globally diversified supplemental insurance franchise with deep Japan exposure. The decision comes down to whether you value Unum's focused domestic benefits franchise or Aflac's international diversification.
UNM holds the edge across 3 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. UNM leads on both 1-year return (+23.97%) and forward P/E quality (9.81x vs 15.82x for AFL), a relatively favorable combination of momentum and valuation. On fundamentals, UNM is growing revenue faster (0.30%), while AFL maintains the higher operating margin (25.72%) — a classic growth-versus-profitability split. Analyst consensus implies meaningfully more upside for UNM (+9.75%) than for AFL (-2.64%).
Human Wall Street analysts' price targets, typically implying a ~12-month view — a separate signal from this site's own AI Prediction Signal further down the page, which is a 5-/30-day machine-learning forecast based on price history alone.
- Want concentrated exposure to the U.S. employer-sponsored disability and benefits market
- Believe improved capital return activity reflects a stronger balance sheet
- Value a diversified mix across disability, life, and supplemental health products
- Are comfortable with results tied to broader U.S. employment trends
- Want exposure to a globally diversified supplemental insurance franchise
- Believe the Japan operation provides a stable, high-margin earnings base
- Value a long history of consistent dividend growth
- Are comfortable with currency translation effects on reported results
| Metric | UNM | AFL |
|---|---|---|
| AI scorei | 40.1 | 49.7 |
| AI ranki | #1191 | #550 |
| Latest closei | $91.02 | $124.59 |
| 1M returni | +2.77% | +11.70% |
| 3M returni | +1.01% | -1.67% |
| 6M returni | +13.43% | +9.94% |
| 1Y returni | +23.97% | +16.23% |
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | UNM | AFL |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $12.48K (+24.8%) started 2025-11-03 | $11.65K (+16.5%) started 2025-11-03 |
| 5Y ago | $34.67K (+246.7%) started 2021-11-03 | $26.23K (+162.3%) started 2021-11-03 |
| 10Y ago | $25.05K (+150.5%) started 2016-11-03 | $55.11K (+451.1%) started 2016-11-03 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | UNM | AFL |
|---|---|---|
| Market capi | $14.69B | $60.42B |
| Trailing P/Ei | 21.53 | 12.96 |
| Forward P/Ei | 9.81 | 15.82 |
| Price/Salesi | N/A | N/A |
| EV/Revenuei | 1.24 | 3.74 |
| Analyst targeti | $101.85 | $117.33 |
| Target upsidei | +9.75% | -2.64% |
| Metric | UNM | AFL |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growthi | 0.30% | -1.00% |
| Earnings growthi | -16.20% | 46.80% |
| EPS growthi | -16.20% | +46.80% |
| FCF margini | -16.72% | +28.51% |
| Operating margini | 11.36% | 25.72% |
| Profit margini | 5.26% | 26.91% |
| ROIC proxyi | 6.35% | 16.91% |
| Return on equityi | 6.35% | 16.91% |
| Dividend yieldi | 2.20% | 2.02% |
| Payout ratioi | 42.99% | 25.59% |
| Dividend growth streaki | N/A | No increase yet |
| Betai | 0.26 | 0.56 |
| Debt/equityi | 36.88 | 53.37 |
| Current ratioi | 17.26 | 0.89 |
| Quick ratioi | 4.13 | 0.78 |
Over the past year, UNM and AFL have moved weakly in the same direction (correlation of 0.37), based on daily returns.
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | UNM | AFL |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growthi | +24.80% | +16.47% |
| CAGRi | +24.89% | +16.53% | |
| Volatilityi | 23.76% | 17.57% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.87 | 0.71 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 1.32 | 1.03 | |
| Max drawdowni | 12.08% | 14.18% | |
| Current drawdowni | 5.75% | 3.83% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 3.94% | 4.71% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 5.04% | 5.91% | |
| Max daily dropi | 4.89% | 4.29% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 7.22% | 4.88% | |
| 5Y | Growthi | +246.74% | +141.11% |
| CAGRi | +28.25% | +19.25% | |
| Volatilityi | 29.26% | 20.77% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.85 | 0.74 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 1.26 | 1.04 | |
| Max drawdowni | 20.50% | 19.86% | |
| Current drawdowni | 5.75% | 3.83% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 5.87% | 5.20% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 7.56% | 6.81% | |
| Max daily dropi | 13.17% | 9.65% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 18.72% | 11.28% | |
| 10Y | Growthi | +150.47% | +342.06% |
| CAGRi | +9.62% | +16.03% | |
| Volatilityi | 37.53% | 25.83% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.32 | 0.53 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.44 | 0.76 | |
| Max drawdowni | 82.28% | 54.89% | |
| Current drawdowni | 5.75% | 3.83% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 28.41% | 6.90% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 36.24% | 11.33% | |
| Max daily dropi | 22.37% | 16.43% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 36.97% | 31.59% |
| Category | UNM | AFL |
|---|---|---|
| Company | Unum Group | Aflac Incorporated |
| Sector | Financial Services | Financial Services |
| Industry | Insurance - Life | Insurance - Life |
| Core business | A provider of employer-sponsored disability, life, and supplemental health insurance products, primarily serving the U.S. workplace benefits market alongside smaller international operations. | A supplemental health and life insurance company best known for its cancer and accident insurance products, with a substantial portion of its business coming from the Japanese insurance market alongside its U.S. operations. |
| Investor focus | Group disability and life insurance sales growth, benefit ratio trends, and capital return activity as the company builds on its improved balance sheet. | Japan segment premium trends and currency effects, U.S. supplemental insurance sales growth, and long-term capital return through dividends and buybacks. |
- Leading position in employer-sponsored disability insurance provides a recurring, relationship-driven revenue base
- Diversified product mix across disability, life, and supplemental health spreads underwriting risk
- Improved capital position in recent years has supported increased share buybacks and dividend growth
- Large, established Japan operation provides a stable, high-margin revenue base with strong brand recognition
- Supplemental insurance products fill a niche that complements rather than competes directly with primary health coverage
- Long history of consecutive dividend increases reflects consistent earnings generation across cycles
- Group disability claims experience can be affected by broader employment and workplace health trends
- Growth depends heavily on retaining and expanding relationships with corporate benefits administrators
- Faces competition from other large insurers and benefits administrators in the employer-sponsored insurance market
- Japan segment results are exposed to yen currency fluctuations that can affect reported U.S. dollar earnings
- Aging demographics and market saturation in Japan can limit long-term premium growth in that segment
- U.S. supplemental insurance sales depend on employer relationships and workplace benefits enrollment trends
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