CNO Financial Group (NYSE:CNO) versus Security National Financial (NASDAQ:SNFCA) Head-To-Head Review

Security National Financial (NASDAQ:SNFCA) and CNO Financial Group (NYSE:CNO) are both finance companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, risk, profitability, institutional ownership, earnings, dividends and analyst recommendations.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Security National Financial and CNO Financial Group”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Security National Financial	$344.59 million	0.70	$32.15 million	$1.39	6.36
CNO Financial Group	$4.49 billion	1.17	$229.30 million	$2.91	19.43

CNO Financial Group has higher revenue and earnings than Security National Financial. Security National Financial is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than CNO Financial Group, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Volatility & Risk

Security National Financial has a beta of 0.68, suggesting that its stock price is 32% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, CNO Financial Group has a beta of 0.8, suggesting that its stock price is 20% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

45.6% of Security National Financial shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 95.4% of CNO Financial Group shares are held by institutional investors. 15.0% of Security National Financial shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 3.4% of CNO Financial Group shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and recommmendations for Security National Financial and CNO Financial Group, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Security National Financial	0	1	0	0	2.00
CNO Financial Group	0	3	2	0	2.40

CNO Financial Group has a consensus target price of $56.00, indicating a potential downside of 0.97%. Given CNO Financial Group’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe CNO Financial Group is more favorable than Security National Financial.

Profitability

This table compares Security National Financial and CNO Financial Group’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Security National Financial	11.10%	9.13%	2.36%
CNO Financial Group	6.02%	18.76%	1.24%

Summary

CNO Financial Group beats Security National Financial on 11 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Security National Financial

Security National Financial Corporation engages in the life insurance, cemetery and mortuary, and mortgage businesses. The company's Life Insurance segment is involved in selling and servicing lines of life insurance, annuity products, and accident and health insurance. It offers various life insurance products, including funeral plans and interest-sensitive life insurance, as well as other traditional life, accident, and health insurance products; annuity products comprising single and flexible premium deferred annuities, and immediate annuities; and diver's accident insurance policies. This segment also cedes and assumes various risks with various authorized unaffiliated reinsurers pursuant to reinsurance treaties. Its Cemetery and Mortuary segment operates eight mortuaries and five cemeteries in Utah; one cemetery in California; and four mortuaries and one cemetery in New Mexico. This segment also offers plots, interment vaults, mausoleum crypts, markers, caskets, urns, and other death care related products; and provides professional services of funeral directors, opening and closing of graves, use of chapels and viewing rooms, and use of automobiles and clothing. The company's Mortgages segment originates and underwrites residential and commercial loans for new construction, existing homes, and real estate projects primarily in Florida, Nevada, Texas, and Utah. It offers residential mortgage lending services to real estate brokers and builders, as well as directly with consumers. Security National Financial Corporation was founded in 1965 and is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah.

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. The company also focuses on sale of voluntary benefit life and health insurance products for businesses, associations, and other membership groups by interacting with customers at their place of employment. In addition, it provides fixed indexed annuities; fixed interest annuities, including fixed rate single and flexible premium deferred annuities; single premium immediate annuities; supplemental health products, such as specified disease, accident, and hospital indemnity products; and long-term care plans primarily to retirees and older self-employed individuals in the middle-income market. Further, the company offers universal life and other interest-sensitive life products; and traditional life policies that include whole life, graded benefit life, term life, and single premium whole life products, as well as graded benefit life insurance products. It markets its products under the Bankers Life, Washington National, and Colonial Penn brand names. The company was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in Carmel, Indiana.