Analysts Set CNO Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CNO) Price Target at $25.50

CNO Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CNO) has been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the five analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and one has given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $25.25.

CNO has been the topic of several recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of CNO Financial Group from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, September 14th. Raymond James initiated coverage on shares of CNO Financial Group in a report on Thursday, June 29th. They issued a “market perform” rating on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of CNO Financial Group from $30.00 to $29.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of CNO Financial Group in a report on Thursday, August 17th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Gary C. Bhojwani sold 21,739 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.00, for a total value of $499,997.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 232,433 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,345,959. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders sold a total of 23,239 shares of company stock valued at $537,872 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CNO Financial Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Alberta Investment Management Corp increased its position in CNO Financial Group by 3.3% during the second quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp now owns 472,943 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $11,195,000 after purchasing an additional 15,000 shares during the last quarter. Virginia Retirement Systems ET AL acquired a new position in CNO Financial Group during the second quarter worth approximately $1,785,000. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky increased its position in CNO Financial Group by 9.3% during the second quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 22,225 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $526,000 after purchasing an additional 1,883 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of CNO Financial Group by 1.1% in the second quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 551,015 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $13,043,000 after acquiring an additional 5,804 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its position in shares of CNO Financial Group by 98.5% in the second quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 52,353 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,239,000 after acquiring an additional 25,980 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.28% of the company’s stock.

CNO Financial Group Stock Down 0.3 %

CNO stock opened at $23.80 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $2.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.46 and a beta of 1.15. CNO Financial Group has a 52 week low of $17.48 and a 52 week high of $26.35. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $24.12 and its 200 day moving average price is $23.01. The company has a current ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 0.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.49.

CNO Financial Group (NYSE:CNO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 31st. The financial services provider reported $0.54 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by ($0.15). The company had revenue of $1.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $915.17 million. CNO Financial Group had a return on equity of 14.49% and a net margin of 5.66%. On average, research analysts expect that CNO Financial Group will post 2.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CNO Financial Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 8th will be given a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 7th. CNO Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.41%.

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.