CNO Financial Group (NYSE:CNO) Price Target Raised to $44.00 at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods

CNO Financial Group (NYSE:CNO) had its target price hoisted by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $42.00 to $44.00 in a research note published on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a market perform rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $46.00 target price (up from $44.00) on shares of CNO Financial Group in a research note on Monday. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of CNO Financial Group from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of CNO Financial Group from $36.00 to $41.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of 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 investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, CNO Financial Group currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $40.50.

CNO Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CNO opened at $40.59 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 0.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.19 billion, a PE ratio of 10.85 and a beta of 1.04. CNO Financial Group has a twelve month low of $24.92 and a twelve month high of $41.54. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $38.34 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $36.32.

CNO Financial Group (NYSE:CNO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.31 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.25. CNO Financial Group had a net margin of 9.08% and a return on equity of 17.21%. Equities analysts forecast that CNO Financial Group will post 3.79 EPS for the current year.

CNO Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $0.16 per share. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.58%. CNO Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.11%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CMO Rocco F. Tarasi III sold 4,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.51, for a total transaction of $168,795.00. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 72,896 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,734,328.96. This trade represents a 5.81 % 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 link. Also, CIO Eric R. Johnson sold 3,978 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.09, for a total value of $155,500.02. Following the sale, the executive now directly owns 631,844 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,698,781.96. The trade was a 0.63 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 9,962 shares of company stock worth $380,717. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CNO Financial Group

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its position in CNO Financial Group by 368.2% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 796 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 626 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of CNO Financial Group by 95.2% during the 4th 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. boosted its holdings in CNO Financial Group by 51.6% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 955 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 325 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC boosted its holdings in 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 valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 881 shares during the period. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in CNO Financial Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $54,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.43% 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.