CNO Financial Group, Inc. $CNO Shares Sold by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. lessened its stake in CNO Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CNO) by 8.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,923,078 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 379,238 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned about 4.11% of CNO Financial Group worth $166,613,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in CNO. Millennium Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of CNO Financial Group by 190.3% in the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 579,656 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $22,925,000 after purchasing an additional 379,984 shares during the last quarter. Capitolis Liquid Global Markets LLC increased its holdings in shares of CNO Financial Group by 384.9% during the 3rd quarter. Capitolis Liquid Global Markets LLC now owns 438,800 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $17,355,000 after buying an additional 348,300 shares during the last quarter. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of CNO Financial Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $10,651,000. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd increased its holdings in shares of CNO Financial Group by 70.9% during the 2nd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 539,233 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $20,804,000 after buying an additional 223,633 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CNO Financial Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $8,018,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.43% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other CNO Financial Group news, insider Scott L. Goldberg sold 11,060 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.97, for a total value of $442,068.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 214,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,574,524.28. This trade represents a 4.90% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 3.44% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on CNO. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of CNO Financial Group from $46.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Evercore set a $48.00 price target on shares of CNO Financial Group and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Monday, June 1st. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of CNO Financial Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of CNO Financial Group in a report on Monday, April 20th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, CNO Financial Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $48.75.

CNO Financial Group Stock Up 1.4%

CNO Financial Group stock opened at $48.65 on Wednesday. CNO Financial Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $35.24 and a fifty-two week high of $48.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61, a quick ratio of 0.17 and a current ratio of 0.17. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $44.85 and a 200 day moving average price of $42.88. The company has a market capitalization of $4.54 billion, a PE ratio of 19.54 and a beta of 0.81.

CNO Financial Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 24th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 10th will be given a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 10th. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. This is a boost from CNO Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. CNO Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is 27.31%.

CNO Financial Group 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.