Yvonne Franzese Sells 9,000 Shares of CNO Financial Group (NYSE:CNO) Stock

CNO Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CNO) insider Yvonne Franzese sold 9,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.17, for a total transaction of $388,530.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 35,062 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,513,626.54. The trade was a 20.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

CNO Financial Group Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of CNO stock opened at $42.53 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 0.18 and a current ratio of 0.17. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $42.58 and its 200-day moving average is $40.60. The stock has a market cap of $4.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.07 and a beta of 0.84. CNO Financial Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $34.63 and a 52-week high of $44.85.

CNO Financial Group (NYSE:CNO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.47 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.27. The business had revenue of $101.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1 billion. CNO Financial Group had a return on equity of 15.80% and a net margin of 4.94%.CNO Financial Group’s quarterly revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.18 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that CNO Financial Group, Inc. will post 3.83 EPS for the current year.

CNO Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 10th. CNO Financial Group’s payout ratio is 30.49%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CNO Financial Group

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Optiver Holding B.V. lifted its position in shares of CNO Financial Group by 90.1% during the 3rd 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 period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in CNO Financial Group by 353.0% during the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 743 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 579 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Corp bought a new position in CNO Financial Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Turning Point Benefit Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of CNO Financial Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Richardson Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of CNO Financial Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Institutional investors own 95.43% of the company’s stock.

Key CNO Financial Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: A company survey from CNO highlights declining retirement confidence among middle‑income Americans — a trend that could boost demand for CNO’s retirement, annuity and supplemental‑health products over time. PR Newswire: Retirement Confidence Survey
• Positive Sentiment: CNO recently declared a quarterly cash dividend ($0.17/share; ex‑dividend March 10, payable March 24), which supports income investors and modestly underpins the stock’s valuation. Market news: Dividend and company summary
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent analyst/commentary pieces are encouraging investors to “reassess” CNO after its multi‑year run; such coverage can prompt portfolio rebalancing (either buys or sells) but doesn’t provide company‑specific catalysts. Yahoo: Is It Time To Reassess CNO?
• Neutral Sentiment: Options markets are showing rising implied volatility for CNO, indicating heavier short‑term trading and greater uncertainty — this amplifies price swings but does not by itself determine direction. MSN: Implied Volatility Surging
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling by senior executives: CEO Gary Bhojwani, the general counsel and other officers sold large blocks of shares on Feb. 17–18 (multiple Form 4 filings show combined sales of many tens of thousands of shares at roughly $43/share). Large, concentrated insider exits are often viewed negatively by the market and are the most likely proximate cause of today’s pullback. SEC Form 4(s): Executive Sales

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on CNO shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of CNO Financial Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 7th. Piper Sandler upped their target price on CNO Financial Group from $46.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of CNO Financial Group in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Jefferies Financial Group raised CNO Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $42.00 to $47.00 in a report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Evercore reiterated an “underperform” rating and set a $43.00 price objective on shares of CNO Financial Group in a research report on Wednesday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, CNO Financial Group has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $46.25.

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.