CNO Financial Group (NYSE:CNO) Hits New 12-Month High Following Better-Than-Expected Earnings

CNO Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CNO) hit a new 52-week high on Friday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The company traded as high as $57.70 and last traded at $57.48, with a volume of 979,531 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $55.17.

The financial services provider reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.80. CNO Financial Group had a net margin of 6.02% and a return on equity of 18.76%. The business had revenue of $1.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.29 EPS.

CNO Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 24th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 10th were paid a $0.18 dividend. 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 24.74%.

Key Headlines Impacting CNO Financial Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Earnings and revenue beat expectations. Third-quarter net operating income rose to $179.1 million, or $1.90 per diluted share, versus the $1.09–$1.10 analyst consensus. Revenue of approximately $1.09 billion also exceeded expectations of about $1.01 billion. CNO Financial Surpasses Q3 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Full-year outlook was raised. CNO increased its 2026 operating EPS guidance, with the midpoint 9% above its prior forecast. Net income attributable to common shareholders reached $161.1 million, or $1.71 per diluted share, compared with $23.1 million, or $0.24, a year earlier. CNO Financial Group Reports Third Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Share repurchases provided additional support. CNO bought back $60 million of stock during the quarter, repurchasing 1.1 million shares at an average price of $54.52. The company also completed a reinsurance transaction covering roughly $270 million of Colonial Penn graded-benefit life reserves, which may improve capital efficiency. CNO Financial Reports Third-Quarter Net Income
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue declined year over year. Quarterly revenue fell to approximately $1.086 billion from $1.189 billion, although improved profitability more than offset the weaker top line. A portion of the earnings improvement also reflected favorable significant items.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and valuation concerns remain. Reported insider activity showed 18 sales and no purchases over the past six months. In addition, cited analyst price targets of $48–$50 are below the stock’s recent trading level, potentially limiting near-term upside.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded CNO Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th. Capital One Financial set a $70.00 target price on CNO Financial Group in a research report on Wednesday, August 26th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on CNO Financial Group from $53.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group lowered CNO Financial Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and upped their price target for the company from $53.00 to $55.00 in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded CNO Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $56.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at CNO Financial Group

In related news, insider Jeremy D. Williams sold 4,420 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.27, for a total transaction of $244,293.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 62,163 shares in the company, valued at $3,435,749.01. The trade was a 6.64% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Jeanne L. Linnenbringer sold 6,560 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.99, for a total value of $360,734.40. Following the transaction, the insider owned 34,188 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,879,998.12. The trade was a 16.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 47,995 shares of company stock worth $2,641,336 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 3.44% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CNO Financial Group

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CNO. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of CNO Financial Group during the second quarter valued at $682,433,000. Pzena Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of CNO Financial Group by 0.3% during the first quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 2,470,921 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $101,456,000 after acquiring an additional 8,053 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position 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 acquiring an additional 114,000 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its holdings in shares of CNO Financial Group by 6.2% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 988,063 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $40,570,000 after acquiring an additional 57,804 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of CNO Financial Group in the 2nd quarter worth about $44,529,000. 95.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CNO Financial Group Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $5.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.75 and a beta of 0.80. The company’s 50-day moving average is $54.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $48.40. The company has a current ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 0.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65.

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.