Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Decreases Holdings in CNO Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CNO)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans trimmed its holdings in CNO Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CNO) by 21.9% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 75,006 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 21,019 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in CNO Financial Group were worth $2,791,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in CNO. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in CNO Financial Group by 15.3% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,289 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $85,000 after purchasing an additional 304 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. increased its holdings in shares of CNO Financial Group by 51.6% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 955 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 325 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its stake in shares of CNO Financial Group by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 22,647 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $795,000 after acquiring an additional 376 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in CNO Financial Group by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 7,873 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $293,000 after acquiring an additional 394 shares during the period. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its position in CNO Financial Group by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 15,634 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $582,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.43% of the company’s stock.

CNO Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CNO opened at $42.24 on Friday. CNO Financial Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $24.92 and a 1 year high of $43.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.29 and a beta of 1.02. The company’s 50-day moving average is $40.40 and its 200 day moving average is $37.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61, a current ratio of 0.22 and a quick ratio of 0.19.

CNO Financial Group (NYSE:CNO) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.25. CNO Financial Group had a return on equity of 17.20% and a net margin of 9.08%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that CNO Financial Group, Inc. will post 3.83 earnings per share for the current year.

CNO Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a $0.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.52%. CNO Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.11%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on CNO shares. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on CNO Financial Group in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $38.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of CNO Financial Group from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of CNO Financial Group from $36.00 to $41.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $46.00 target price (up from $44.00) on shares of CNO Financial Group in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on CNO Financial Group from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $40.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at CNO Financial Group

In other CNO Financial Group news, General Counsel Matthew J. Zimpfer sold 40,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.10, for a total transaction of $1,636,080.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel now owns 204,143 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,186,134.30. This trade represents a 16.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Scott L. Goldberg sold 25,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.02, for a total value of $1,020,510.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 169,342 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,777,066.84. This represents a 13.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 142,806 shares of company stock valued at $5,802,013. 3.21% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.