MET vs. UNM: MetLife vs. Unum Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do MetLife (MET) and Unum (UNM) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

MetLife (MET) and Unum (UNM) are both classified in the Life & Health Insurance sub-industry within the broader Insurance industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for MetLife (MET) and Unum (UNM)
Profile Item	MET	UNM
Name	MetLife, Inc.	Unum Group
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Financials	Financials
GICS Industry Group	Insurance	Insurance
GICS Industry	Insurance	Insurance
GICS Sub-Industry	Life & Health Insurance	Life & Health Insurance
Market Capitalization	61.76 billion USD	11.89 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	April 5, 2000	November 6, 1986
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

MET

UNM

GSPC

MetLife (MET) vs. Unum (UNM), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for MetLife (MET) and Unum (UNM). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for MetLife (MET) and Unum (UNM). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for MetLife (MET) and Unum (UNM)
Metric	MET	UNM
Total Return (1Y)	38.57%	4.52%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	23.59%	25.65%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	13.62%	29.12%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

MET

UNM

GSPC

MetLife (MET) vs. Unum (UNM), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for MetLife (MET) and Unum (UNM). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for MetLife (MET) and Unum (UNM)
Metric	MET	UNM
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	24.21%	29.31%
Beta (5Y)	0.77	0.28
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-35.09%	-23.00%
Avg. Volume (3M)	3.05M	1.86M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

MET and UNM are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for MetLife (MET) and Unum (UNM)
Metric	MET	UNM
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.42	0.01
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	2.10	0.01

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

MetLife (MET) at 19.92% is around its peer norm for ROE, while Unum (UNM) at 2.25% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker returns on shareholders’ equity.

MET

Insurance industry group

19.92%

Max: 41.68%
Q3: 22.04%
MET: 19.92%
Median: 14.81%
Q1: 8.79%
Min: -10.66%

UNM

Insurance industry group

2.25%

Max: 41.68%
Q3: 22.04%
Median: 14.81%
Q1: 8.79%
UNM: 2.25%
Min: -10.66%

MetLife (MET) vs. Unum (UNM): A comparison of their ROE against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

MetLife (MET) at 6.21% keeps about the industry-typical share of revenue as profit, while Unum (UNM) at 1.94% retains only a bottom-quartile share.

MET

Insurance industry group

6.21%

Max: 29.92%
Q3: 17.03%
Median: 10.97%
MET: 6.21%
Q1: 6.21%
Min: -4.68%

UNM

Insurance industry group

1.94%

Max: 29.92%
Q3: 17.03%
Median: 10.97%
Q1: 6.21%
UNM: 1.94%
Min: -4.68%

MetLife (MET) vs. Unum (UNM): A comparison of their net margin against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Neither side reports a meaningful operating margin: for MetLife (MET) in Insurance and Unum (UNM) in Insurance, funding costs are part of the core business, so net margin and ROE are the cleaner profitability reads.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for MetLife (MET) and Unum (UNM)
Metric	MET	UNM
ROE (TTM)	19.92%	2.25%
ROA (TTM)	0.60%	0.51%
Net Margin (TTM)	6.21%	1.94%
Operating Margin (TTM)	--	--
Gross Margin (TTM)	--	--

Growth

Revenue Growth

MetLife (MET) at 7.88% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Unum (UNM) at 1.52% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

MetLife (MET) vs. Unum (UNM): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both MetLife (MET) at -21.04% and Unum (UNM) at -54.86% post bottom-quartile EPS growth versus peers, pointing to weaker earnings momentum than typical rivals.

MetLife (MET) vs. Unum (UNM): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for MetLife (MET) and Unum (UNM)
Metric	MET	UNM
Revenue Growth (YoY)	7.88%	1.52%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	3.92%	3.02%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-21.04%	-54.86%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	18.50%	-13.07%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

current ratio doesn’t apply on either side: MetLife (MET) in Insurance and Unum (UNM) in Insurance both report balance sheets without a current/non-current split, so their short-term liquidity is better judged through regulatory and funding measures.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

debt-to-equity ratio is set aside for both: MetLife (MET) in Insurance and Unum (UNM) in Insurance run businesses where balance-sheet leverage is part of the model, so capital-adequacy and funding measures are the better gauges of balance-sheet risk.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for MetLife (MET) and Unum (UNM)
Metric	MET	UNM
Current Ratio (MRQ)	--	--
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	--	--
Net Debt / EBITDA	--	--

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Unum (UNM) at 2.61% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while MetLife (MET) at 0.57% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, UNM the richer one.

MET

Insurance industry group

0.57%

Max: 5.12%
Q3: 2.15%
Median: 0.98%
MET: 0.57%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

UNM

Insurance industry group

2.61%

Max: 5.12%
UNM: 2.61%
Q3: 2.15%
Median: 0.98%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

MetLife (MET) vs. Unum (UNM): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Unum (UNM) reports payout ratio above 100% at 128.23%, meaning dividends exceeded current-period earnings and sustainability needs extra context. Meanwhile MetLife (MET) reports 30.33%, ranking against industry peers normally.

MET

Insurance industry group

30.33%

Max: 76.67%
Q3: 35.18%
MET: 30.33%
Median: 14.74%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

UNM

Insurance industry group

128.23%

UNM: 128.23%
Max: 76.67%
Q3: 35.18%
Median: 14.74%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

MetLife (MET) vs. Unum (UNM): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for MetLife (MET) and Unum (UNM)
Metric	MET	UNM
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.57%	2.61%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	30.33%	128.23%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

MetLife (MET) at 12.85 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Unum (UNM) at 52.21 sits above its peer range — an unusually expensive price for UNM’s trailing earnings.

MET

Insurance industry group

12.85

Max: 28.37
Q3: 18.75
MET: 12.85
Median: 12.23
Q1: 9.08
Min: 2.32

UNM

Insurance industry group

52.21

UNM: 52.21
Max: 28.37
Q3: 18.75
Median: 12.23
Q1: 9.08
Min: 2.32

MetLife (MET) vs. Unum (UNM): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

MetLife (MET) at 0.75 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Unum (UNM) at 0.95 prices around its industry’s middle — MET costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

MET

Insurance industry group

0.75

Max: 4.03
Q3: 2.25
Median: 1.23
Q1: 0.85
MET: 0.75
Min: 0.07

UNM

Insurance industry group

0.95

Max: 4.03
Q3: 2.25
Median: 1.23
UNM: 0.95
Q1: 0.85
Min: 0.07

MetLife (MET) vs. Unum (UNM): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Unum (UNM) at 1.11 sits in the lower P/B ratio quartile against book while MetLife (MET) at 2.79 is valued near its industry’s middle — UNM is cheaper on assets, though weigh it against ROE and asset quality.

MET

Insurance industry group

2.79

Max: 5.07
Q3: 2.79
MET: 2.79
Median: 1.76
Q1: 1.23
Min: 0.30

UNM

Insurance industry group

1.11

Max: 5.07
Q3: 2.79
Median: 1.76
Q1: 1.23
UNM: 1.11
Min: 0.30

MetLife (MET) vs. Unum (UNM): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for MetLife (MET) and Unum (UNM)
Metric	MET	UNM
P/E Ratio (TTM)	12.85	52.21
P/S Ratio (TTM)	0.75	0.95
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	2.79	1.11
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	--	--