Unum(US:UNM)2025-11-04 14:00Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Year-to-date premium growth increased by 4%, with earnings per share at $2.09, slightly below expectations due to volatility in the closed block [5][6][16] - Return on equity for core operations remains near 20%, while the overall return on equity is 11.3% [10][12] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Core business profitability trends show strong performance, with group disability and group life demonstrating favorable earnings power [7][10] - Unum US segment adjusted operating income was $334.9 million, down from $363.3 million year-over-year, with group disability adjusted operating earnings at $133.5 million [19][21] - Colonial Life adjusted operating income increased to $116.6 million, driven by a 3.3% premium growth [22] - International segment adjusted operating income totaled $38.8 million, with premium growth of 9.5% [23] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Persistency for total group was 89.8%, compared to 92.5% a year ago, indicating strong retention [21] - Sales growth across core segments was robust, with a 12% increase in sales for the quarter [7] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focused on strategic actions to advance its closed block strategy and reduce associated risks, including a successful long-term care reinsurance transaction [11][12] - Investment priorities include strengthening core businesses, pursuing selective M&A opportunities, and returning capital to shareholders [13][33] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in the company's ability to deliver sustainable results and emphasized the importance of digital initiatives in driving growth [14][36] - The company remains committed to proactive management of the closed block and believes no future capital contributions will be necessary [31][36] Other Important Information - The annual reserve assumption review resulted in a net increase in reserves of $478.5 million pretax, with strategic actions taken to derisk the long-term care block [17][25] - The investment portfolio maintains an A-minus average rating, with strong underlying statutory earnings of approximately $300 million [12][34] Q&A Session Summary Question: Can you provide more color on the statutory side of VLCC assumption review? - Management explained that the reserve charge impacted the entire block of business, with adjustments made flowing through to protections without significantly affecting statutory reserving levels [41][42] Question: What is the rationale behind keeping capital in Fairwind? - Management indicated that retaining capital in Fairwind is prudent given the strong protections available [46] Question: How do the recent changes impact the actuarial justified rate increases? - Management confirmed that the changes are linked to the removal of morbidity and mortality improvement assumptions, which will flow through to the rate increase requests [51][52] Question: What are the expectations for group disability recoveries? - Management expressed confidence in the stability of recoveries, noting that the team has effectively managed the group disability block [66][100] Question: What is the outlook for share buybacks and other uses of cash? - Management stated that capital deployment plans remain consistent, with a focus on growing core operations and pursuing selective M&A opportunities [108]