CNO Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CNO) Shares Acquired by Lazard Asset Management LLC

Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of CNO Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CNO - Free Report) by 32.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 34,567 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 8,452 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC's holdings in CNO Financial Group were worth $1,286,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC boosted its holdings in CNO Financial Group by 54.6% in the 4th quarter. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC now owns 287,581 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $10,701,000 after purchasing an additional 101,583 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of CNO Financial Group in the fourth quarter worth about $896,000. Ethic Inc. bought a new stake in shares of CNO Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $265,000. FJ Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in CNO Financial Group during the fourth quarter worth $933,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG raised its holdings in shares of CNO Financial Group by 36.8% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 111,498 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $4,149,000 after purchasing an additional 29,972 shares during the period. 95.43% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CNO Financial Group Stock Performance

CNO Financial Group stock traded up $0.06 during trading on Friday, hitting $37.33. The stock had a trading volume of 200,631 shares, compared to its average volume of 695,860. CNO Financial Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $26.36 and a 1 year high of $43.20. 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 stock's 50 day moving average is $38.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $39.04. The stock has a market cap of $3.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.98 and a beta of 0.90.

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

CNO Financial Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be given a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 10th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.82%. This is a boost from CNO Financial Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. CNO Financial Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.78%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CNO has been the subject of several research reports. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on CNO Financial Group from $46.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on 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. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on CNO Financial Group from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, 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 on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $41.00.

Insider Activity at CNO Financial Group

In other news, insider Scott L. Goldberg sold 25,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.02, for a total transaction of $1,020,510.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 169,342 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,777,066.84. This represents a 13.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Jeremy David Williams sold 11,300 shares of CNO Financial Group stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.51, for a total value of $469,063.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 65,299 shares in the company, valued at $2,710,561.49. This trade represents a 14.75% 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 valued at $3,168,838. Corporate insiders own 3.00% of the company's stock.

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.