As the Q1 earnings season comes to a close, it’s time to take stock of this quarter’s best and worst performers in the life insurance industry, including Horace Mann Educators (NYSE: HMN) and its peers.

Life insurance companies collect premiums from policyholders in exchange for providing a future death benefit or retirement income stream. Interest rates matter for the sector (and make it cyclical), with higher rates allowing insurers to reinvest their fixed-income portfolios at more attractive yields and vice versa. Additionally, favorable demographic shifts, such as an aging population, are driving strong demand for retirement products while AI and data analytics offer significant opportunities to improve underwriting accuracy and operational efficiency. Conversely, the industry faces headwinds from persistent competition from agile insurtechs that threaten traditional distribution models.

The 11 life insurance stocks we track reported a slower Q1. As a group, revenues missed analysts’ consensus estimates by 1.1%.

In light of this news, share prices of the companies have held steady. On average, they are relatively unchanged since the latest earnings results.

Horace Mann Educators (NYSE: HMN)

Founded in 1945 and named after the 19th-century education reformer known as the "father of American public education," Horace Mann Educators (NYSE: HMN) is an insurance company that specializes in providing auto, property, life, and retirement products tailored for educators and other public service employees.

Horace Mann Educators reported revenues of $429.3 million, up 3.1% year on year. This print fell short of analysts’ expectations by 3.1%. Overall, it was a mixed quarter for the company with a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates but a miss of analysts’ revenue estimates.

Interestingly, the stock is up 2.4% since reporting and currently trades at $46.75.

Is now the time to buy Horace Mann Educators? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Best Q1: Primerica (NYSE: PRI)

With a sales force of over 140,000 licensed representatives operating on an independent contractor model, Primerica (NYSE: PRI) provides term life insurance, investment products, and other financial services to middle-income households in the United States and Canada.

Primerica reported revenues of $872.3 million, up 8.6% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 1.9%. The business had a strong quarter with a solid beat of analysts’ book value per share and revenue estimates.

Although it had a fine quarter compared to its peers, the market seems unhappy with the results as the stock is down 2.2% since reporting. It currently trades at $270.59.

Is now the time to buy Primerica? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Weakest Q1: Brighthouse Financial (NASDAQ: BHF)

Spun off from MetLife in 2017 to focus specifically on retail financial products, Brighthouse Financial (NASDAQ: BHF) provides annuity contracts and life insurance products designed to help individuals protect wealth, generate income, and transfer assets.

Brighthouse Financial reported revenues of $2.10 billion, down 2.7% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 4.8%. It was a softer quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ revenue and book value per share estimates.

As expected, the stock is down 1.3% since the results and currently trades at $61.73.

Read our full analysis of Brighthouse Financial’s results here.

CNO Financial Group (NYSE: CNO)

Rebranded from Conseco in 2010 to signal a fresh start after navigating financial challenges, CNO Financial Group (NYSE: CNO) develops and markets health insurance, annuities, and life insurance products primarily targeting middle-income pre-retirees and retirees.

CNO Financial Group reported revenues of $999.2 million, up 5.3% year on year. This result met analysts’ expectations. Aside from that, it was a mixed quarter as it also produced a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates but a significant miss of analysts’ book value per share estimates.

The stock is up 4.5% since reporting and currently trades at $46.43.

Read our full, actionable report on CNO Financial Group here, it’s free.

Unum Group (NYSE: UNM)

Tracing its roots back to 1848 when financial security for workers was virtually non-existent, Unum Group (NYSE: UNM) provides workplace financial protection benefits including disability, life, accident, critical illness, dental and vision insurance primarily through employers.

Unum Group reported revenues of $2.93 billion, down 11.3% year on year. This number lagged analysts’ expectations by 5.2%. It was a slower quarter as it also logged a significant miss of analysts’ revenue estimates and a significant miss of analysts’ book value per share estimates.

Unum Group had the slowest revenue growth among its peers. The stock is up 7.2% since reporting and currently trades at $83.41.

Read our full, actionable report on Unum Group here, it’s free.

Market Update

Late in 2025 into early 2026, there was hand-wringing around artificial intelligence. For software companies, the fear was that AI would erode pricing power and compress margins as new tools made it easier to replicate what once required expensive enterprise platforms. Crypto investors had their own version of the same anxiety: if AI agents could trade, allocate capital, and manage wallets autonomously, what exactly was the long-term value of today’s crypto infrastructure?

These concerns triggered a noticeable rotation away from these sectors and into safer havens. But markets rarely dwell on one narrative for long. Spring 2026 came, and the focus shifted abruptly from technological disruption to geopolitical risk. The US’ conflict with Iran became the dominant driver of market psychology, and when geopolitics takes center stage, the script changes quickly. Investors stop debating growth rates and start worrying about oil supply, inflation, and global stability.

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