CNO Financial Group (NYSE:CNO) Posts Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.11 EPS

Key Points

• Earnings beat: CNO reported EPS of $1.05 versus the $0.94 consensus, with revenue up 2.5% year-over-year and a 15.8% return on equity and 4.94% net margin.
• Dividend and valuation: The company paid a $0.17 quarterly dividend (annualized $0.68, yield 1.5%, DPR 30.49%), and the stock traded around $44.42 with a market cap of $4.16 billion and a P/E of about 19.9.
• Insider selling and analyst view: Insiders sold roughly 196,778 shares (~$8.44M) in the past 90 days (insiders own 3.44%), while Wall Street's consensus rating is a Hold with a $46.50 target amid mixed analyst opinions.

CNO Financial Group (NYSE:CNO - Get Free Report) announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The financial services provider reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.11, FiscalAI reports. CNO Financial Group had a return on equity of 15.80% and a net margin of 4.94%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.79 EPS.

CNO Financial Group Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE CNO traded down $0.24 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $44.42. The stock had a trading volume of 627,529 shares, compared to its average volume of 575,299. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $41.91 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $41.64. CNO Financial Group has a 1 year low of $35.24 and a 1 year high of $44.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 0.17 and a current ratio of 0.17. The firm has a market cap of $4.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.92 and a beta of 0.83.

CNO Financial Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th were issued a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 10th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. CNO Financial Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.49%.

Insider Activity

In other news, General Counsel Matthew J. Zimpfer sold 33,800 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.05, for a total transaction of $1,455,090.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 307,937 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,256,687.85. This represents a 9.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Yvonne K. Franzese sold 9,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.17, for a total transaction of $388,530.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 35,062 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,513,626.54. This represents a 20.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 196,778 shares of company stock worth $8,442,863. 3.44% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Osaic Holdings Inc. lifted its holdings in 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 buying an additional 336 shares during the period. Pathstone Holdings LLC raised its holdings in shares of CNO Financial Group by 1.2% during the third quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 36,833 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,457,000 after acquiring an additional 439 shares in the last quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System raised its holdings in shares of CNO Financial Group by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 90,789 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,856,000 after acquiring an additional 462 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its stake in CNO Financial Group by 4.3% in the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 12,209 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $483,000 after acquiring an additional 503 shares during the period. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in CNO Financial Group by 7.0% in the third quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 7,779 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $308,000 after acquiring an additional 510 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 95.43% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on CNO. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a "hold" rating and set a $46.00 target price on shares of CNO Financial Group in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of CNO Financial Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 28th. Evercore restated an "underperform" rating and set a $43.00 price objective on shares of CNO Financial Group in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of CNO Financial Group in a report on Monday, April 20th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, CNO Financial Group presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $46.50.

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.

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