Blue Trust Inc. Lowers Holdings in CNO Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CNO)

Blue Trust Inc. trimmed its position in shares of CNO Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CNO) by 30.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,353 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,920 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in CNO Financial Group were worth $162,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of CNO. Sound Income Strategies LLC bought a new stake in shares of CNO Financial Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $54,000. CWM LLC increased its holdings in shares of CNO Financial Group by 53.0% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,750 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 606 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of CNO Financial Group by 15.3% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,289 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $85,000 after purchasing an additional 304 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in shares of CNO Financial Group by 26.7% during the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,349 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $118,000 after purchasing an additional 706 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Connable Office Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of CNO Financial Group during the third quarter valued at $207,000. 95.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

CNO Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CNO opened at $40.64 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $38.68 and a 200 day moving average of $36.64. The company has a current ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 0.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.86 and a beta of 1.04. CNO Financial Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $24.92 and a 12-month high of $42.02.

CNO Financial Group (NYSE:CNO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.25. CNO Financial Group had a net margin of 9.08% and a return on equity of 17.20%. On average, research analysts anticipate that CNO Financial Group, Inc. will post 3.79 earnings per share for the current year.

CNO Financial Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a $0.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.57%. CNO Financial Group’s payout ratio is currently 17.11%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other CNO Financial Group news, CMO Rocco F. Tarasi III sold 4,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.51, for a total value of $168,795.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 72,896 shares in the company, valued at $2,734,328.96. This represents a 5.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CNO has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and set a $46.00 target price (up previously from $44.00) on shares of CNO Financial Group in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of CNO Financial Group from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of CNO Financial Group from $36.00 to $41.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of CNO Financial Group from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of CNO Financial Group in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $38.00 price objective for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, CNO Financial Group presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $40.50.

CNO Financial Group Company Profile

CNO Financial Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, develops, markets, and administers health insurance, annuity, individual life insurance, insurance products, and financial services for senior and middle-income markets in the United States. It offers Medicare supplement, supplemental health, and long-term care insurance policies; life insurance; and annuities, as well as Medicare advantage plans to individuals through phone, online, mail, and face-to-face.