CNO Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CNO) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of CNO Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CNO) have received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the five ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has given a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $47.50.

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on CNO Financial Group from $46.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of CNO Financial Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 28th. Evercore reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and issued a $43.00 target price on shares of CNO Financial Group in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of CNO Financial Group in a research report on Monday, April 20th.

CNO Financial Group Stock Down 0.8%

CNO Financial Group stock opened at $46.80 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.79 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61, a quick ratio of 0.17 and a current ratio of 0.17. CNO Financial Group has a fifty-two week low of $35.24 and a fifty-two week high of $47.35. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $42.60 and a 200-day simple moving average of $42.08.

CNO Financial Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 24th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 10th will be paid a $0.18 dividend. This is a boost from CNO Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 10th. CNO Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling at CNO Financial Group

In other news, CEO Gary C. Bhojwani sold 43,021 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.05, for a total transaction of $1,852,054.05. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 277,526 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,947,494.30. This represents a 13.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Yvonne K. Franzese sold 9,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.17, for a total value of $388,530.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 35,062 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,513,626.54. This represents a 20.43% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 165,808 shares of company stock valued at $7,113,321 over the last ninety days. 3.44% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Optiver Holding B.V. lifted its holdings in shares of CNO Financial Group by 90.1% during the third quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 637 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 302 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in CNO Financial Group by 353.0% in the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 743 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 579 shares during the period. First Horizon Corp acquired a new position in CNO Financial Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in CNO Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth $37,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position 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 worth $45,000 after buying an additional 649 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.43% of the company’s stock.

CNO Financial Group Company Profile

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.