Ensign Peak Advisors Inc Lowers Position in CNO Financial Group, Inc. $CNO

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc lessened its holdings in CNO Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CNO) by 19.5% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 33,941 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 8,200 shares during the period. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc’s holdings in CNO Financial Group were worth $1,309,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Natixis Advisors LLC bought a new position in CNO Financial Group during the first quarter valued at $493,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its stake in shares of CNO Financial Group by 70.9% during the 2nd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 1,546,745 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $59,673,000 after acquiring an additional 641,950 shares during the period. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. purchased a new stake in CNO Financial Group in the 1st quarter worth about $4,975,000. Cetera Investment Advisers bought a new stake in CNO Financial Group in the 1st quarter valued at about $722,000. Finally, Graham Capital Management L.P. purchased a new stake in CNO Financial Group during the first quarter valued at about $903,000. 95.43% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at CNO Financial Group

In other news, CIO Eric R. Johnson sold 48,665 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.24, for a total transaction of $2,006,944.60. Following the sale, the executive owned 671,542 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,694,392.08. This trade represents a 6.76% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 3.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

CNO Financial Group Price Performance

NYSE:CNO opened at $40.93 on Friday. CNO Financial Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $34.63 and a 52-week high of $43.20. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $40.06 and a 200 day moving average of $38.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 0.17 and a current ratio of 0.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.10 and a beta of 0.94.

CNO Financial Group (NYSE:CNO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 19th. The financial services provider reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter. CNO Financial Group had a return on equity of 16.63% and a net margin of 6.41%.The firm had revenue of $968.30 million for the quarter. On average, research analysts expect that CNO Financial Group, Inc. will post 3.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CNO Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 23rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 10th will be paid a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 10th. CNO Financial Group’s payout ratio is currently 23.78%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of CNO Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of CNO Financial Group in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on CNO Financial Group from $44.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $43.60.

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.