Matthew Zimpfer Sells 23,570 Shares of CNO Financial Group (NYSE:CNO) Stock

CNO Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CNO) General Counsel Matthew Zimpfer sold 23,570 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.17, for a total transaction of $1,017,516.90. Following the sale, the general counsel directly owned 307,937 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,293,640.29. The trade was a 7.11% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

CNO Financial Group Stock Performance

NYSE:CNO opened at $42.53 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 0.18 and a current ratio of 0.17. CNO Financial Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $34.63 and a fifty-two week high of $44.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.06 billion, a PE ratio of 19.07 and a beta of 0.84. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $42.58 and its 200 day moving average is $40.60.

CNO Financial Group (NYSE:CNO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.47 earnings per share (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 analysts’ expectations of $1 billion. CNO Financial Group had a return on equity of 15.80% and a net margin of 4.94%.CNO Financial Group’s revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.18 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be issued a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 10th. CNO Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.49%.

Key Headlines Impacting 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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on CNO shares. Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of CNO Financial Group from $46.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of CNO Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $42.00 to $47.00 in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Evercore reiterated an “underperform” rating and set a $43.00 price target on shares of CNO Financial Group in a research report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen cut CNO Financial Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of CNO Financial Group in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $46.25.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CNO Financial Group

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of CNO. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in CNO Financial Group by 6.2% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,121,527 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $120,429,000 after purchasing an additional 183,493 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in CNO Financial Group during the third quarter valued at $1,077,000. AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new stake in CNO Financial Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $3,057,000. Boston Partners lifted its position in shares of CNO Financial Group by 141.1% in the second quarter. Boston Partners now owns 86,148 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,324,000 after purchasing an additional 50,411 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cresset Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CNO Financial Group during the second quarter worth approximately $1,511,000. 95.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.