Gary Bhojwani Sells 45,357 Shares of CNO Financial Group (NYSE:CNO) Stock

CNO Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CNO) CEO Gary Bhojwani sold 45,357 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.17, for a total value of $1,958,061.69. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 320,547 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,838,013.99. This trade represents a 12.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

CNO Financial Group Stock Down 1.2%

CNO stock opened at $42.53 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $4.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.07 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a current ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 0.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43. CNO Financial Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $34.63 and a twelve month high of $44.85. The company’s 50 day moving average is $42.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $40.60.

CNO Financial Group (NYSE:CNO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.27. CNO Financial Group had a net margin of 4.94% and a return on equity of 15.80%. The business had revenue of $101.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.18 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that CNO Financial Group, Inc. will post 3.83 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 Tuesday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 10th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. CNO Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.49%.

Trending Headlines about CNO Financial Group

Here are the key news stories impacting CNO Financial Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: A company survey from CNO highlights declining retirement confidence among middle‑income Americans — a trend that could boost demand for CNO’s retirement, annuity and supplemental‑health products over time. PR Newswire: Retirement Confidence Survey
• Positive Sentiment: CNO recently declared a quarterly cash dividend ($0.17/share; ex‑dividend March 10, payable March 24), which supports income investors and modestly underpins the stock’s valuation. Market news: Dividend and company summary
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent analyst/commentary pieces are encouraging investors to “reassess” CNO after its multi‑year run; such coverage can prompt portfolio rebalancing (either buys or sells) but doesn’t provide company‑specific catalysts. Yahoo: Is It Time To Reassess CNO?
• Neutral Sentiment: Options markets are showing rising implied volatility for CNO, indicating heavier short‑term trading and greater uncertainty — this amplifies price swings but does not by itself determine direction. MSN: Implied Volatility Surging
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling by senior executives: CEO Gary Bhojwani, the general counsel and other officers sold large blocks of shares on Feb. 17–18 (multiple Form 4 filings show combined sales of many tens of thousands of shares at roughly $43/share). Large, concentrated insider exits are often viewed negatively by the market and are the most likely proximate cause of today’s pullback. SEC Form 4(s): Executive Sales

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CNO Financial Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CNO. Royal Bank of Canada raised its stake in shares of CNO Financial Group by 29.5% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 176,059 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $7,332,000 after buying an additional 40,054 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in CNO Financial Group by 1.3% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 60,757 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,531,000 after acquiring an additional 797 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its position in CNO Financial Group by 5.8% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 376,747 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $15,692,000 after acquiring an additional 20,728 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC lifted its holdings in CNO Financial Group by 146.4% in the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 149,159 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,212,000 after acquiring an additional 88,619 shares during the period. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of CNO Financial Group by 637.4% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,438 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 1,243 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.43% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CNO has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of CNO Financial Group in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of CNO Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $42.00 to $47.00 in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Evercore reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and issued a $43.00 target price on shares of CNO Financial Group in a report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of CNO Financial Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their price target on CNO Financial Group from $46.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $46.25.

CNO Financial Group Company Profile

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.