CNO Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CNO) Receives $40.50 Average Price Target from Analysts

Shares of CNO Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CNO) have received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the six analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $40.50.

CNO has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on CNO Financial Group from $36.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of CNO Financial Group in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $38.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of CNO Financial Group from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $46.00 price target (up previously from $44.00) on shares of CNO Financial Group in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on CNO Financial Group from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Yvonne K. Franzese sold 2,097 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.56, for a total value of $89,248.32. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 30,321 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,290,461.76. This trade represents a 6.47 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Scott L. Goldberg sold 25,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.02, for a total value of $1,020,510.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 169,342 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,777,066.84. This represents a 13.09 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 142,806 shares of company stock worth $5,802,013. Corporate insiders own 3.21% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CNO Financial Group

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of CNO Financial Group by 15.3% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,289 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $85,000 after buying an additional 304 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its stake in shares of CNO Financial Group by 51.6% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 955 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 325 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its holdings in CNO Financial Group by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 22,647 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $795,000 after acquiring an additional 376 shares during the period. Mariner LLC grew its position in CNO Financial Group by 6.7% in the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 6,116 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $228,000 after acquiring an additional 385 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC increased its stake in CNO Financial Group by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 7,873 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $293,000 after purchasing an additional 394 shares during the period. 95.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

CNO Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CNO opened at $42.34 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $4.25 billion, a PE ratio of 11.32 and a beta of 1.02. CNO Financial Group has a 1 year low of $24.92 and a 1 year high of $43.20. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $40.32 and a 200-day moving average price of $37.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61, a current ratio of 0.22 and a quick ratio of 0.19.

CNO Financial Group (NYSE:CNO) last issued its quarterly 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 return on equity of 17.20% and a net margin of 9.08%. Equities analysts anticipate that CNO Financial Group will post 3.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CNO Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were given a dividend of $0.16 per share. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.51%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. CNO Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is 17.11%.

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.