CNO Financial Group (NYSE:CNO) Announces Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.80 EPS

CNO Financial Group (NYSE:CNO) posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The financial services provider reported $1.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.80, FiscalAI reports. The company had revenue of $1.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. CNO Financial Group had a net margin of 9.19% and a return on equity of 22.09%. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.29 EPS.

CNO Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of CNO Financial Group stock traded up $2.31 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $57.48. The company had a trading volume of 980,988 shares, compared to its average volume of 925,208. The firm has a market cap of $5.32 billion, a PE ratio of 13.12 and a beta of 0.80. CNO Financial Group has a one year low of $38.99 and a one year high of $57.70. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $54.52 and a 200 day simple moving average of $48.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65, a current ratio of 0.17 and a quick ratio of 0.17.

CNO Financial Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 10th were paid a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 10th. CNO Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 16.44%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CNO has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of CNO Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of CNO Financial Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $53.00 to $55.00 in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of CNO Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 20th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of CNO Financial Group from a “buy (a)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a report on Friday, October 23rd. Finally, Capital One Financial set a $70.00 target price on shares of CNO Financial Group in a report on Wednesday, August 26th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $56.00.

Trending Headlines about CNO Financial Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Major earnings beat: Third-quarter net operating income rose to $179.1 million, or $1.90 per diluted share, versus the roughly $1.09–$1.10 analyst consensus. Net income reached $161.1 million, or $1.71 per share, compared with $23.1 million, or $0.24 per share, a year earlier. CNO Financial Surpasses Q3 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Guidance increased: CNO raised its 2026 operating EPS guidance, with the midpoint 9% above its prior forecast. The company also repurchased $60 million of stock during the quarter, buying 1.1 million shares at an average of $54.52. CNO Financial Group Reports Third Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Capital and risk-management actions: CNO completed a reinsurance transaction covering approximately $270 million of Colonial Penn in-force graded-benefit life statutory reserves. The move, part of its captive/reinsurance strategy, may improve capital efficiency and reduce exposure to legacy liabilities. CNO Moves Colonial Penn Reserves to Bermuda
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported revenue of approximately $1.09 billion exceeded estimates near $1.01 billion, but the top line declined from $1.189 billion in the prior-year quarter. The favorable earnings impact also included $44.9 million from significant items, making some of the improvement less recurring. CNO Financial Group Q3 Net Operating Income Rises
• Negative Sentiment: Insider-trading data showed 18 sales and no purchases over the past six months. In addition, previously published analyst targets around $48–$50 are below the current trading range, suggesting valuation and expectations could limit further upside.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Jeanne L. Linnenbringer sold 3,919 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.11, for a total value of $215,976.09. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 26,209 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,444,377.99. This trade represents a 13.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Karen J. Detoro sold 5,964 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.12, for a total transaction of $328,735.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 36,450 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,009,124. The trade was a 14.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 47,995 shares of company stock valued at $2,641,336 over the last quarter. 3.44% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

CNO Financial Group Company Profile

CNO Financial Group, Inc is a holding company for a group of insurance and financial services businesses focused on serving middle-income Americans, particularly individuals approaching or in retirement. Through its operating companies, CNO provides products designed to help customers protect income, manage health care expenses and prepare for retirement.

CNO’s principal brands include Bankers Life, Colonial Penn and Washington National. Its offerings include life insurance, annuities, supplemental health insurance, Medicare supplement insurance and other insurance products.