PRINCIPAL 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.
No growth line prints for either benefits insurer, and their multiples barely disagree anyway, 15.5 times for Principal against 19.5 for Unum. The economics run close: net margins of 10.1% and 5.9%, returns on equity of 13.2% and 7.2%, Principal ahead on both while dragging the larger asset base (0.5% return on assets against 1.3%). Principal pays the bigger dividend, 2.9% against 2%, and shows the bigger float-flattered cash figure, 15.8% against 3.6%. Both sheets are conservative. Retirement-and-group-benefits against disability-and-life: adjacent aisles of the same unglamorous store, priced within four turns, with the dividend and the returns both pointing at the cheaper one.
Comparison updated 2026-07-10.
| Metric | PFG | UNM |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $107.80 | $90.06 |
| Market cap | $23.7B | $14.8B |
| Sector | Managed Care | Managed Care |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| P/E | 15.5 | 19.5 |
| P/B | 2.00 | 1.36 |
| P/S | 1.54 | 1.11 |
| Revenue growth | -0.2% | +4.4% |
| Net margin | 10.1% | 5.9% |
| Return on equity | 13.2% | 7.2% |
| Return on assets | 0.5% | 1.3% |
| FCF yield | 15.8% | 3.6% |
| Dividend yield | 2.9% | 1.9% |
| Debt / equity | 0.33 | 0.35 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 0.17 | 0.69 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 6 / 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.