Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Reaffirms Market Perform Rating for CNO Financial Group (NYSE:CNO)

Key Points

• Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on CNO with a $46 price target (about a 12.8% upside), while analyst opinions vary—three Buys, one Hold and one Sell—leaving the MarketBeat consensus at a Hold with an average target of $46.50.
• CNO beat quarterly EPS expectations, reporting $1.47 vs. $1.20 consensus and showing revenue up 4.2% year‑over‑year; sell‑side analysts expect roughly 3.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.
• Insiders have been net sellers—228,208 shares (~$9.76M) sold in the past three months (including a 33,800‑share sale by the General Counsel)—while institutional investors hold about 95.4% of the stock.

CNO Financial Group (NYSE:CNO - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "market perform" rating reaffirmed by analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $46.00 price objective on the financial services provider's stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods' price target would indicate a potential upside of 12.84% from the company's current price.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded CNO Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the company from $42.00 to $47.00 in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of CNO Financial Group in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen raised shares of CNO Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th. Evercore reissued an "underperform" rating and issued a $43.00 target price on shares of CNO Financial Group in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their price target on shares of CNO Financial Group from $46.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, CNO Financial Group currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $46.50.

CNO Financial Group Price Performance

NYSE:CNO traded up $0.16 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $40.77. 128,693 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 653,943. The company has a quick ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 0.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43. The company has a market capitalization of $3.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.28 and a beta of 0.83. CNO Financial Group has a 12 month low of $34.63 and a 12 month high of $44.85. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $41.71 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $41.10.

CNO Financial Group (NYSE:CNO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.47 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.27. The company had revenue of $101.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1 billion. CNO Financial Group had a return on equity of 15.80% and a net margin of 4.94%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.18 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that CNO Financial Group will post 3.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at CNO Financial Group

In other CNO Financial Group news, General Counsel Matthew J. Zimpfer sold 33,800 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.05, for a total value of $1,455,090.00. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel owned 307,937 shares in the company, valued at $13,256,687.85. This represents a 9.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Yvonne K. Franzese sold 9,000 shares of CNO Financial Group stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.17, for a total transaction of $388,530.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 35,062 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,513,626.54. This trade represents a 20.43% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 228,208 shares of company stock valued at $9,762,609. 3.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of CNO Financial Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Optiver Holding B.V. boosted its position in shares of CNO Financial Group by 90.1% in the third 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 raised its stake in CNO Financial Group by 353.0% during the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 743 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 579 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Corp bought a new stake in CNO Financial Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in CNO Financial Group in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in CNO Financial Group by 123.1% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,176 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 649 shares during the last quarter. 95.43% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About CNO Financial Group

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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