CNO Financial Group (NYSE:CNO) Cut to “Hold” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen cut shares of CNO Financial Group (NYSE:CNO) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report published on Saturday.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of CNO Financial Group in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on CNO Financial Group from $44.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $43.60.

CNO Financial Group Price Performance

CNO opened at $39.41 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 0.17 and a current ratio of 0.17. CNO Financial Group has a 52-week low of $34.10 and a 52-week high of $43.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.82 billion, a PE ratio of 14.54 and a beta of 0.90. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $38.97 and its 200-day moving average price is $38.25.

CNO Financial Group (NYSE:CNO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 19th. The financial services provider reported $0.84 EPS for the quarter. The company had revenue of $968.30 million during the quarter. CNO Financial Group had a return on equity of 16.63% and a net margin of 6.41%. On average, equities research analysts predict that CNO Financial Group will post 3.83 EPS for the current year.

CNO Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 24th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 10th were issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, September 10th. CNO Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.09%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CNO Financial Group

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of CNO. Neo Ivy Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of CNO Financial Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. Turning Point Benefit Group Inc. purchased a new stake in CNO Financial Group in the second quarter worth approximately $32,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in CNO Financial Group by 89.7% in the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,009 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 477 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in CNO Financial Group by 123.1% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,176 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 649 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Osaic Holdings Inc. raised its stake in CNO Financial Group by 39.2% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 1,194 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 336 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.43% of the company’s stock.

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.