Fact based stock research
CNO Financial (NYSE:CNO)
US12621E1038
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For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:
Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".
Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".
Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.
Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.
(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).
(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.
CNO Financial stock research in summary
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 64 (better than 64% compared with investment alternatives), CNO Financial (Life & Health Insurance, USA) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of CNO Financial are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 51 (better than 51% of alternatives), are safely financed (Safety Rank of 72, which means low debt burdens), but show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 33). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 64, is a buy recommendation based on CNO Financial's financial characteristics. As the company CNO Financial's key financial metrics exhibit good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 51) but low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 33) while being safely financed (Obermatt Safety Rank of 72), it may be a safer investment because companies with low debt can better withstand times of crises. Yet the good value, better than 51% of comparable companies, may also indicate that the company's future is challenging. If you believe that low growth is temporary or just due to a specific current event, you may conclude that the good value of the stock provides an attractive investment opportunity and the downside is limited due to below-average financing risks. Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more
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Country | USA |
Industry | Life & Health Insurance |
Index | Diversity USA, D.J. US Insurance, S&P MIDCAP |
Size class | X-Large |
10-Apr-2025. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.

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Review the performance ranks of the individual metrics that form each investment strategy.
Research History: CNO Financial
RESEARCH HISTORY | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | ||||
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VALUE | ||||||||
VALUE | 69 |
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70 |
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45 |
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51 |
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GROWTH | ||||||||
GROWTH | 31 |
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39 |
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45 |
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33 |
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SAFETY | ||||||||
SAFETY | 72 |
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72 |
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72 |
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72 |
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SENTIMENT | ||||||||
SENTIMENT | 43 |
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48 |
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44 |
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new | |
360° VIEW | ||||||||
360° VIEW | 39 |
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39 |
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39 |
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new |
Combined financial peformance in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 64 (better than 64% compared with investment alternatives), CNO Financial (Life & Health Insurance, USA) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of CNO Financial are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 51 (better than 51% of alternatives), are safely financed (Safety Rank of 72, which means low debt burdens), but show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 33). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 64, is a buy recommendation based on CNO Financial's financial characteristics. As the company CNO Financial's key financial metrics exhibit good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 51) but low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 33) while being safely financed (Obermatt Safety Rank of 72), it may be a safer investment because companies with low debt can better withstand times of crises. Yet the good value, better than 51% of comparable companies, may also indicate that the company's future is challenging. If you believe that low growth is temporary or just due to a specific current event, you may conclude that the good value of the stock provides an attractive investment opportunity and the downside is limited due to below-average financing risks. Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more
RESEARCH HISTORY | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | ||||
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VALUE | ||||||||
VALUE | 69 |
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70 |
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45 |
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51 |
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GROWTH | ||||||||
GROWTH | 31 |
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39 |
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45 |
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33 |
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SAFETY | ||||||||
SAFETY | 72 |
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72 |
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72 |
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72 |
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COMBINED | ||||||||
COMBINED | 64 |
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64 |
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64 |
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64 |
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Value Metrics in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 51 (better than 51% compared with alternatives), CNO Financial shares are more attractively priced than the majority of comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with half of the indicators below and half above average for CNO Financial. Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) is 69 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is lower than for 69% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning CNO Financial's profit levels. The same is valid for Price-to-Book Capital (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Book Rank of 74, which means that the stock price is lower as regards to invested capital than for 74% of comparable investments. On the other hand, Price-to-Sales is less favorable than for 52% of alternatives (only 48% of peers have an even less favorable ratio). The same is valid for dividend yield, which is lower than for 56% of comparable companies, making the stock more expensive compared with the company's expected dividend payouts. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 51, is a buy recommendation based on CNO Financial's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. This is a puzzling picture, because it means that profits are high while dividends are low. Since the stock price is low compared with invested capital but high concerning expected revenues, the company has more invested capital than peers for generating the same amount of revenue. Since profits are higher, it could be a "cash cow" situation (using the classic Boston Consulting Group or BCG matrix naming convention) where the company is on a downward trend, still living from the profits of past products. As the company pays low dividends, it may harbor the opinion that a turnaround is possible, and it rather invests the cash than distribute it to shareholders through dividends, thus sealing the company's fate early. Any investment optimism should only be a buy trigger once thorough research is completed. We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision, which is especially important in this case, as the financial indicators are inconclusive. ...read more
VALUE METRICS | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | ||||
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PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S) | ||||||||
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S) | 55 |
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50 |
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48 |
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48 |
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PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E) | ||||||||
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E) | 48 |
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64 |
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50 |
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69 |
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PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book) | ||||||||
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book) | 85 |
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86 |
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74 |
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74 |
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DIVIDEND YIELD | ||||||||
DIVIDEND YIELD | 69 |
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56 |
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44 |
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44 |
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CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE | ||||||||
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE | 69 |
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70 |
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45 |
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51 |
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Growth Metrics in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 33 (better than 33% compared with alternatives), CNO Financial shows a below-average growth dynamic in its industry. There is limited momentum in this company. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with half of the indicators below and half above average for CNO Financial. Capital Growth has a rank of 71, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow its invested capital more than 14% of its competitors. Investors welcomed this, visible in the Stock Returns rank of 83 (above 83% of alternative investments). But Sales Growth has only a rank of 12, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 88% of its competitors, and Profit Growth is also low at a rank of 14. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 33, is a hold recommendation for growth and momentum investors. This is an ambiguous picture. Revenue growth and capital growth are strong, but the growth in profit, which seems good, can also be an indication that growth momentum may be negative. The fact that stock returns have been above average doesn't help much, as stock returns are less reliable in showing a company’s future growth potential. Prices may perform well for the simple reason that investors were too pessimistic in the past and are now correcting their opinions and moving the stock price to a more reasonable level. As the growth picture is mixed for CNO Financial, investors may want to look at value and sentiment indicators for a well-rounded picture of this stock. While momentum is a popular investment factor, the value aspect might be the more important one, in the longer term. We recommend analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks to arrive at a 360° View of the stock purchase case, especially since the growth performance is mixed here. ...read more
GROWTH METRICS | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | ||||
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REVENUE GROWTH | ||||||||
REVENUE GROWTH | 35 |
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37 |
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15 |
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12 |
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PROFIT GROWTH | ||||||||
PROFIT GROWTH | 29 |
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53 |
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12 |
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14 |
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CAPITAL GROWTH | ||||||||
CAPITAL GROWTH | 71 |
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5 |
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79 |
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71 |
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STOCK RETURNS | ||||||||
STOCK RETURNS | 45 |
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79 |
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89 |
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83 |
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CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH | ||||||||
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH | 31 |
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39 |
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45 |
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33 |
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Safety Metrics in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 72 (better than 72% compared with alternatives), the company CNO Financial has financing practices on the safer side, which mean that their overall debt burden is lower than average. This doesn't mean that the business of CNO Financial is safe, it only means that the company is on the safer side regarding possible bankruptcy, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with just one indicator above average for CNO Financial and the other two below average. Refinancing is at 84, meaning the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is below average. It has less debt in the refinancing stage than 84% of its competitors. But Leverage is high with a rank of 6, meaning the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 94% of its competitors. Liquidity is also on the riskier side with a rank of 23, meaning the company generates less profit to service its debt than 77% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 72 (better than 72% compared with alternatives), CNO Financial has a financing structure that is safer than that of its competitors. A good Refinancing Rank means that the problems of the company may not be around the corner. But high Leverage is only good if things go well, and low Liquidity is a signal for caution. The financing signals for CNO Financial are on the riskier side, requiring the company's future to be on the safer side. Investors may want to look at Growth and Sentiment ranks before making an investment decision. In the long-term, investors may have a debt challenge with CNO Financial and should also compare Obermatt’s Value, Growth, and Sentiment Ranks before making a decision. ...read more
SAFETY METRICS | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | ||||
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LEVERAGE | ||||||||
LEVERAGE | 10 |
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5 |
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8 |
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6 |
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REFINANCING | ||||||||
REFINANCING | 84 |
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84 |
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84 |
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84 |
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LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
LIQUIDITY | 27 |
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42 |
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26 |
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23 |
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CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 72 |
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72 |
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72 |
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72 |
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Sentiment Metrics in Detail
SENTIMENT | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | ||||
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ANALYST OPINIONS | ||||||||
ANALYST OPINIONS | n/a |
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24 |
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13 |
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OPINIONS CHANGE | ||||||||
OPINIONS CHANGE | 79 |
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89 |
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75 |
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PRO HOLDINGS | ||||||||
PRO HOLDINGS | 35 |
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58 |
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29 |
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MARKET PULSE | ||||||||
MARKET PULSE | 32 |
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39 |
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59 |
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CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT | ||||||||
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT | 43 |
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48 |
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44 |
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new |
Free stock analysis by the purely fact based Obermatt Method for CNO Financial from April 10, 2025.
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