CNO Financial Group, Inc. vs Unum Group, two Managed Care stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
CNO earns 9.8% on equity, Unum 7.2%, both unspectacular and both honest, insurance returns earned without leverage tricks (0 and 0.35 turns of debt). The niches neighbor each other, senior life-and-health at CNO, workplace disability at Unum, and the margins nearly match, 5.4% and 5.9% net. The market splits them mildly, 21.1 and 19.5 times earnings, dividends of 1.3% and 2%. Nothing on this page argues loudly for either; that is itself the finding. Two mid-cap insurers earning similar returns from similar customers at similar prices: the pair is as close to a coin flip as the sector prints, and the reader's conviction must come from somewhere other than these columns.
Comparison updated 2026-07-10.
| Metric | CNO | UNM |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $52.52 | $90.06 |
| Market cap | $5.0B | $14.8B |
| Sector | Managed Care | Managed Care |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| P/E | 21.1 | 19.5 |
| P/B | 2.02 | 1.36 |
| P/S | 1.12 | 1.11 |
| EV/EBITDA | 7.6 | — |
| Revenue growth | +5.0% | +4.4% |
| Operating margin | 12.6% | — |
| Net margin | 5.4% | 5.9% |
| Return on equity | 9.8% | 7.2% |
| Return on assets | 0.6% | 1.3% |
| Return on invested capital | 18.0% | — |
| FCF yield | 13.6% | 3.6% |
| Dividend yield | 1.3% | 1.9% |
| Debt / equity | 0.00 | 0.35 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 0.30 | 0.69 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 7 / 9 | 9 / 9 |
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The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.