CNO Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CNO) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

CNO Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CNO) has received an average rating of “Hold” from the six analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $40.50.

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on CNO shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of CNO Financial Group from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $46.00 price target (up previously from $44.00) on shares of CNO Financial Group in a report on Monday, February 10th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of CNO Financial Group from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of CNO Financial Group from $36.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 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 target for the company.

CNO Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:CNO opened at $41.28 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $39.86 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $37.67. CNO Financial Group has a 12-month low of $24.92 and a 12-month high of $42.41. The firm has a market cap of $4.16 billion, a PE ratio of 11.04 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.25. CNO Financial Group had a net margin of 9.08% and a return on equity of 17.20%. Equities research analysts predict that CNO Financial Group will post 3.83 earnings per share for the current year.

CNO Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $0.16 dividend. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. CNO Financial Group’s payout ratio is 17.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling at CNO Financial Group

In other news, insider Scott L. Goldberg sold 25,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.11, for a total transaction of $1,022,805.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 169,342 shares in the company, valued at $6,792,307.62. This represents a 13.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, General Counsel Matthew J. Zimpfer sold 40,800 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.49, for a total transaction of $1,692,792.00. Following the sale, the general counsel now owns 244,943 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,162,685.07. This trade represents a 14.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 132,600 shares of company stock worth $5,372,187. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CNO Financial Group

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its position in shares of CNO Financial Group by 368.2% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 796 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 626 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in CNO Financial Group by 95.2% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 855 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 417 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. grew its holdings in CNO Financial Group by 51.6% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 955 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 325 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC grew its holdings in CNO Financial Group by 193.2% in the fourth quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 1,337 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 881 shares during the period. Finally, Quarry LP grew its holdings in CNO Financial Group by 137.8% in the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,334 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 773 shares during the period. 95.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About CNO Financial Group

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.