BNP Paribas Financial Markets Sells 17,077 Shares of CNO Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CNO)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets cut its position in CNO Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CNO - Free Report) by 42.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 22,869 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 17,077 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets' holdings in CNO Financial Group were worth $851,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of CNO. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its stake 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 purchasing an additional 626 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in CNO Financial Group by 95.2% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 855 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 417 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. grew its position in CNO Financial Group by 51.6% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 955 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 325 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP increased its stake in CNO Financial Group by 137.8% during the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,334 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 773 shares during the period. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC raised its position in shares of CNO Financial Group by 193.2% during the 4th quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 1,337 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 881 shares in the last quarter. 95.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CNO Financial Group Price Performance

NYSE:CNO traded up $1.03 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $38.17. 612,760 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 714,155. The company has a quick ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61. The company has a market capitalization of $3.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.21 and a beta of 0.90. CNO Financial Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $26.36 and a 12 month high of $43.20. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $38.75 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $39.03.

CNO Financial Group (NYSE:CNO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The financial services provider reported $0.79 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.79. The business had revenue of $1 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $975.80 million. CNO Financial Group had a net margin of 9.08% and a return on equity of 17.20%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 13.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.52 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that CNO Financial Group, Inc. will post 3.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CNO Financial Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be paid a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.78%. This is an increase from CNO Financial Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 10th. CNO Financial Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.78%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CNO has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of CNO Financial Group from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Piper Sandler increased their price target on CNO Financial Group from $46.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on CNO Financial Group from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $41.00.

Insider Activity at CNO Financial Group

In related news, insider Yvonne K. Franzese sold 2,097 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.56, for a total value of $89,248.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 30,321 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,290,461.76. This trade represents a 6.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jeremy David Williams sold 3,393 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.77, for a total value of $141,725.61. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 56,599 shares in the company, valued at $2,364,140.23. The trade was a 5.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 77,912 shares of company stock worth $3,168,838. 3.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

CNO Financial Group Company Profile

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.