Unum Expands Broker Connect Features with Employee Navigator
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Mar 24 2026
0mins
Should l Buy UNM?
Source: Newsfilter
- Feature Expansion: Unum's integration with Employee Navigator in Broker Connect now includes automated billing and eligibility features aimed at reducing administrative work and improving accuracy, thereby providing a more modern management experience for brokers and employers.
- Automation Benefits: The new capabilities automatically align premiums with current enrollment data, reducing reconciliation work and giving brokers greater confidence in billing accuracy, which enhances the quality of client service.
- Management Simplification: The automated eligibility solution eliminates manual file feeds, supporting easier onboarding and claims administration, helping employers gain higher efficiency and reliable support as leave management becomes more complex.
- Deepened Partnership: This feature expansion builds on Unum's long-standing partnership with Employee Navigator, reflecting a shared commitment to innovation that aims to save brokers time and allow them to focus more on client needs.
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Analyst Views on UNM
Wall Street analysts forecast UNM stock price to rise
9 Analyst Rating
6 Buy
3 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 72.990
Low
85.00
Averages
94.00
High
115.00
Current: 72.990
Low
85.00
Averages
94.00
High
115.00
About UNM
Unum Group is an international provider of workplace benefits and services. The Company, through its Unum and Colonial Life brands, offers disability, life, accident, critical illness, dental, and vision insurance; leave and absence management support; and behavioral health services. The Company's segments include Unum US, Unum International, and Colonial Life. Unum US segment is comprised of group disability, group life and accidental death and dismemberment, and supplemental and voluntary lines of business. The supplemental and voluntary line of business includes voluntary benefits, individual disability, and dental and vision products. Unum International segment includes its operations in the United Kingdom and Poland. Unum Poland's business primarily includes insurance for individual and group life with accident and health riders. Colonial Life segment includes the accident, sickness, and disability product line, life product line, and cancer and critical illness product line.
About the author

Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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- Feature Expansion: Unum's integration with Employee Navigator in Broker Connect now includes automated billing and eligibility features aimed at reducing administrative work and improving accuracy, thereby providing a more modern management experience for brokers and employers.
- Automation Benefits: The new capabilities automatically align premiums with current enrollment data, reducing reconciliation work and giving brokers greater confidence in billing accuracy, which enhances the quality of client service.
- Management Simplification: The automated eligibility solution eliminates manual file feeds, supporting easier onboarding and claims administration, helping employers gain higher efficiency and reliable support as leave management becomes more complex.
- Deepened Partnership: This feature expansion builds on Unum's long-standing partnership with Employee Navigator, reflecting a shared commitment to innovation that aims to save brokers time and allow them to focus more on client needs.
See More
- Stock Buyback Plan: Unum Group plans to return 100% of projected free cash flow to shareholders through buybacks and dividends in 2026, indicating management's belief in the stock's undervaluation, which could support share prices during market downturns and attract more investors.
- Premium Growth Expectations: In 2025, Unum reported core premium growth of 4.4%, with 2026 projections between 4% and 7%; achieving the upper end could exceed analyst models, prompting rating and price target revisions that attract more buyers.
- Margin Stabilization: Despite a rise in the disability benefit ratio to 62.4% in 2025, management expects it to stabilize between 62% and 64% in 2026, which could enhance underwriting profitability and support the company's projected 8% to 12% EPS growth outlook.
- Long-Term Investment Potential: Unum's stability and predictability have led to a 180% stock price increase over the past five years; despite recent performance issues, sustained improvements could present a compelling buying opportunity for investors.
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- Performance Decline: Unum Group's fourth-quarter 2025 results fell short of expectations, causing the stock to drop about 6% year-to-date, despite a remarkable 180% increase over the past five years, indicating the company is facing short-term challenges.
- Cash Flow Return Plan: The company plans to return 100% of projected free cash flow to shareholders in 2026 through buybacks and dividends, a strategy that not only reflects management's confidence in the stock but could also enhance earnings per share (EPS) by reducing the outstanding share count, potentially attracting more investors.
- Premium Growth Outlook: In 2025, Unum reported core premium growth of 4.4%, consistent with 4.5% in 2024, and expects growth between 4% and 7% in 2026; exceeding this guidance could lead to analyst upgrades in ratings and price targets, further driving the stock price higher.
- Margin Stability: Although the disability benefit ratio rose to 62.4% in 2025, management anticipates a decline to between 62% and 64% in 2026, achieving this could enhance underwriting profitability and support the company's EPS growth outlook of 8% to 12%, potentially reversing the recent stock price downturn.
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- 2025 Adjusted EPS: Unum Group reported an adjusted EPS of $8.13 for 2025, falling short of expectations primarily due to increased benefits experience, with management redefining the 2025 base to $7.93 and guiding for 2026 adjusted EPS between $8.60 and $8.90, indicating potential for future profitability.
- Group Disability Pressure: The benefit ratio for Group Disability was 62.4% for 2025 and 64.2% in Q4, leading to a 22.8% year-over-year decline in adjusted operating income; however, management expects the benefit ratio to stabilize between 62% and 64% in 2026, reflecting confidence in future performance.
- Capital Return Plans: Unum raised its dividend by 10% and repurchased $1 billion in stock in 2025, with plans for another ~$1 billion in buybacks and a 10% dividend increase in 2026, targeting 100% of free cash flow (approximately $1.2 to $1.4 billion) for shareholder returns, demonstrating strong capital management capabilities.
- Digital Strategy: Unum emphasized its digital investments as a competitive advantage, with over one-third of the core premium base linked to customers utilizing “leading digital capabilities,” and management noted that customers using HR Connect have close ratios nearly double those of non-HR Connect customers, highlighting the positive impact of digitalization on business growth.
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