CNO Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CNO) Insider Yvonne K. Franzese Sells 2,013 Shares

CNO Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CNO) insider Yvonne K. Franzese sold 2,013 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.18, for a total value of $84,908.34. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 26,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,138,606.92. This represents a 6.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

CNO Financial Group Trading Down 1.9 %

Shares of CNO opened at $41.46 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61, a current ratio of 0.22 and a quick ratio of 0.19. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $40.45 and a 200-day simple moving average of $38.02. The stock has a market cap of $4.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.09 and a beta of 1.02. CNO Financial Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $24.92 and a 1-year high of $43.20.

CNO Financial Group (NYSE:CNO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities analysts forecast that CNO Financial Group, Inc. will post 3.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CNO Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a $0.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.54%. CNO Financial Group’s payout ratio is currently 17.11%.

Institutional Trading of CNO Financial Group

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CNO. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its position in shares of CNO Financial Group by 368.2% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 796 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 626 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of CNO Financial Group by 95.2% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 855 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 417 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. raised its position in shares of CNO Financial Group by 51.6% in the 4th 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. Quarry LP boosted its holdings in CNO Financial Group by 137.8% in the fourth 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 last quarter. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC increased its stake in CNO Financial Group by 193.2% during 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 during the last quarter. 95.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $46.00 target price (up previously from $44.00) on shares of CNO Financial Group in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on CNO Financial Group from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group upped 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. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of CNO Financial Group in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $38.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of CNO Financial Group from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, CNO Financial Group currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $40.50.

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.