Yvonne K. Franzese Sells 8,109 Shares of CNO Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CNO) Stock

CNO Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CNO) insider Yvonne K. Franzese sold 8,109 shares of CNO Financial Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.00, for a total value of $340,578.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 38,540 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,618,680. This represents a 17.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

CNO Financial Group Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of CNO stock opened at $42.24 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $40.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $37.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61, a current ratio of 0.22 and a quick ratio of 0.19. CNO Financial Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $24.92 and a 1-year high of $43.20. The firm has a market cap of $4.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.29 and a beta of 1.02.

CNO Financial Group (NYSE:CNO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.25. CNO Financial Group had a net margin of 9.08% and a return on equity of 17.20%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that CNO Financial Group, Inc. will post 3.83 EPS for the current year.

CNO Financial Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were given a dividend of $0.16 per share. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. CNO Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.11%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on CNO shares. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on CNO Financial Group in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $38.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of CNO Financial Group from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of CNO Financial Group from $36.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $46.00 price objective (up previously from $44.00) on shares of CNO Financial Group in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of CNO Financial Group from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, CNO Financial Group presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $40.50.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CNO Financial Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its stake in shares of CNO Financial Group by 368.2% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 796 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 626 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in CNO Financial Group by 95.2% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 855 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 417 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. grew its stake in CNO Financial Group by 51.6% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 955 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 325 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC increased its position in shares of CNO Financial Group by 193.2% in the fourth quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 1,337 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 881 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP raised its stake in shares of CNO Financial Group by 137.8% in the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,334 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 773 shares during the period. 95.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.