CNO Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CNO) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of CNO Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CNO) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $44.80.

A number of research firms recently weighed in on CNO. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of CNO Financial Group from $44.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of CNO Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of CNO Financial Group in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised CNO Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $42.00 to $47.00 in a report on Monday.

Insider Transactions at CNO Financial Group

In other CNO Financial Group news, CIO Eric R. Johnson sold 48,665 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.24, for a total transaction of $2,006,944.60. Following the transaction, the executive owned 671,542 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,694,392.08. This trade represents a 6.76% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CMO Rocco F. Tarasi III sold 9,283 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.60, for a total transaction of $395,455.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer directly owned 73,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,149,503.20. This represents a 11.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 3.38% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CNO Financial Group

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Optiver Holding B.V. increased its position in shares of CNO Financial Group by 90.1% during the 3rd quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 637 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 302 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in CNO Financial Group by 353.0% during the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 743 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 579 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Corp acquired a new position in CNO Financial Group during the third quarter worth about $32,000. Turning Point Benefit Group Inc. bought a new stake in CNO Financial Group in the second quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in CNO Financial Group by 123.1% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,176 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 649 shares in the last quarter. 95.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CNO Financial Group Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of CNO Financial Group stock opened at $42.85 on Wednesday. CNO Financial Group has a twelve month low of $34.63 and a twelve month high of $43.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.98 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a current ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $40.38 and its 200-day simple moving average is $38.95.

CNO Financial Group (NYSE:CNO) last issued its earnings results on Friday, May 19th. The financial services provider reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $968.30 million for the quarter. CNO Financial Group had a return on equity of 15.81% and a net margin of 6.64%. Equities research analysts forecast that CNO Financial Group will post 3.83 earnings per share for the current year.

CNO Financial Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 23rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 10th will be paid a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 10th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. CNO Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 23.78%.

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.