CNO Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CNO) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

CNO Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CNO) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $43.60.

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of CNO Financial Group in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded CNO Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on CNO Financial Group from $44.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th.

CNO Financial Group Trading Up 1.8%

Shares of CNO Financial Group stock traded up $0.74 on Friday, reaching $40.51. The company had a trading volume of 817,535 shares, compared to its average volume of 696,093. CNO Financial Group has a 52-week low of $34.63 and a 52-week high of $43.20. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $39.87 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $38.60. The firm has a market cap of $3.86 billion, a PE ratio of 14.95 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 0.17 and a current ratio of 0.17.

CNO Financial Group (NYSE:CNO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 19th. The financial services provider reported $0.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $968.30 million for the quarter. CNO Financial Group had a return on equity of 16.63% and a net margin of 6.41%. Sell-side analysts predict that CNO Financial Group will post 3.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CNO Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 23rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 10th will be issued a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 10th. CNO Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other CNO Financial Group news, CIO Eric R. Johnson sold 48,665 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.24, for a total value of $2,006,944.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive directly owned 671,542 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,694,392.08. The trade was a 6.76% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of CNO Financial Group

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CNO. Optiver Holding B.V. boosted its holdings in CNO Financial Group by 90.1% in the third quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 637 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 302 shares during the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in shares of CNO Financial Group by 39.2% in the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 1,194 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 336 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of CNO Financial Group by 32.1% in the 3rd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,553 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 377 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of CNO Financial Group by 8.1% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 5,409 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $214,000 after purchasing an additional 403 shares during the period. Finally, Pathstone Holdings LLC increased its position in CNO Financial Group by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 36,833 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,457,000 after purchasing an additional 439 shares in the last quarter. 95.43% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.