Handelsbanken Fonder AB Buys 3,100 Shares of CNO Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CNO)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its holdings in shares of CNO Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CNO) by 13.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 25,755 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,100 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in CNO Financial Group were worth $958,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale lifted its stake in shares of CNO Financial Group by 11.9% in the 3rd quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 38,711 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,313,000 after purchasing an additional 4,127 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its holdings in shares of CNO Financial Group by 3.5% in the third quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 12,290 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $431,000 after purchasing an additional 415 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of CNO Financial Group by 131.5% in the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 32,141 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,128,000 after purchasing an additional 18,257 shares in the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. purchased a new position in CNO Financial Group during the third quarter worth $209,000. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of CNO Financial Group by 6.6% during the third quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 77,327 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,714,000 after purchasing an additional 4,766 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 $41.27 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61. CNO Financial Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $24.92 and a 52 week high of $42.02. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $39.02 and its 200 day moving average price is $36.95. The firm has a market cap of $4.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.03 and a beta of 1.04.

CNO Financial Group (NYSE:CNO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a $0.16 dividend. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.55%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. CNO Financial Group’s payout ratio is currently 17.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling at CNO Financial Group

In related news, CMO Rocco F. Tarasi III sold 1,484 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.02, for a total transaction of $56,421.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 79,896 shares in the company, valued at $3,037,645.92. This trade represents a 1.82 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, General Counsel Matthew J. Zimpfer sold 40,800 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.49, for a total value of $1,692,792.00. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel now directly owns 244,943 shares in the company, valued at $10,162,685.07. This represents a 14.28 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 87,584 shares of company stock worth $3,554,089 in the last three months. 3.21% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on CNO Financial Group from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective 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. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $46.00 price objective (up from $44.00) on shares of CNO Financial Group in a report on Monday, February 10th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of CNO Financial Group from $36.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of CNO Financial Group in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $38.00 target price for the company. One research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $40.50.

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.