Jeanne Linnenbringer Sells 4,060 Shares of CNO Financial Group (NYSE:CNO) Stock

CNO Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CNO) insider Jeanne Linnenbringer sold 4,060 shares of CNO Financial Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.73, for a total transaction of $222,203.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 30,128 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,648,905.44. The trade was a 11.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

CNO Financial Group Trading Up 2.5%

NYSE:CNO opened at $56.71 on Friday. CNO Financial Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $38.22 and a 52 week high of $57.59. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $53.76 and a 200 day moving average of $47.77. The company has a quick ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 0.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.49 and a beta of 0.80.

CNO Financial Group (NYSE:CNO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.26 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.29. CNO Financial Group had a net margin of 6.02% and a return on equity of 18.76%. The company had revenue of $1.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $999.45 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.87 earnings per share. CNO Financial Group’s revenue was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that CNO Financial Group, Inc. will post 4.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CNO Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 24th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 10th will be given a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 10th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. CNO Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.74%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CNO Financial Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in CNO Financial Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $682,433,000. California State Teachers Retirement System increased its holdings in shares of CNO Financial Group by 4,851.5% in the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 5,354,939 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $272,995,000 after purchasing an additional 5,246,791 shares during the period. Pzena Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of CNO Financial Group by 0.3% in the first quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 2,470,921 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $101,456,000 after purchasing an additional 8,053 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley raised its stake in shares of CNO Financial Group by 20.5% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 1,870,982 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $79,461,000 after purchasing an additional 317,690 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of CNO Financial Group by 8.3% during the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,492,497 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $61,282,000 after purchasing an additional 114,000 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.43% of the company’s stock.

Key CNO Financial Group News

Here are the key news stories impacting CNO Financial Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CNO’s investor briefing highlighted growth strategies and operating momentum in its worksite and Medicare businesses, offering investors greater visibility into potential expansion and future earnings. CNO Financial Highlights Growth in Worksite and Medicare Operations
• Positive Sentiment: The company recently reported quarterly earnings of $1.26 per share, well above the $0.97 analyst consensus, while revenue of $1.29 billion exceeded expectations and increased 11.6% year over year. Analysts expect approximately $4.74 in full-year EPS, supporting the stock’s valuation and recent strength.
• Positive Sentiment: CNO declared a quarterly dividend of $0.18 per share, equivalent to $0.72 annually and a yield of about 1.3%. The dividend’s payout ratio of roughly 24.7% suggests room to maintain the distribution if earnings remain solid. CNO Financial Group stock information
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains mixed: CNO has two Buy ratings and three Hold ratings, with a consensus price target near $56. Several firms have recently raised their targets, including Capital One Financial at $70, but the average target implies limited upside from recent trading levels.
• Negative Sentiment: Insiders Karen J. Detoro and Jeanne L. Linnenbringer sold a combined approximately 39,213 shares worth about $2.15 million between August 31 and September 2. The transactions reduced their holdings and could create a modest overhang, although all sales were made under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans, making them less indicative of a new negative view on the business. Karen J. Detoro SEC Form 4 Jeanne L. Linnenbringer SEC Form 4

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on CNO shares. Capital One Financial set a $70.00 target price on CNO Financial Group in a research report on Wednesday, August 26th. Weiss Ratings raised CNO Financial Group from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Wall Street Zen upgraded CNO Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th. Evercore set a $48.00 price objective on shares of CNO Financial Group and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Monday, June 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of CNO Financial Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $53.00 to $55.00 in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, CNO Financial Group has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $56.00.

About CNO Financial Group

CNO Financial Group is an Indiana‐based holding company that offers a range of insurance and retirement solutions through its operating subsidiaries. Its primary business activities include life insurance, annuities, and supplemental health insurance products designed to help individuals plan for retirement and manage health‐related expenses. The company serves middle‐income Americans, with particular emphasis on senior customers seeking guaranteed coverage and reliable income streams.

Originally founded as Conseco in 1979, the company underwent a financial restructuring and rebranded as CNO Financial Group in 2010.