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

cnoinc.com

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 low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 49 (worse than 51% of alternatives) and show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 39) but are safely financed (Safety Rank of 72), which means low debt burdens. ...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 critical financial metrics exhibit below-average performance, such as low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 49) and low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 39), it is a somewhat questionable stock investment, where the risk of paying too much for the shares is significant, unless the company has an exceptionally bright future. In this case, good financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 72) are a positive sign, because it may allow the company to weather challenging times until the hoped-for cash flows materialize. This may be true for high-tech or biotechnology companies with enough cash to sustain prolonged business development. If they own properties that only provide cash flows in the future, the stock may look excessively expensive and unattractive today. In such cases, the Obermatt Method has limited value, as it is based on facts we can observe today. If the facts lie all in the future, stock investing becomes guesswork, and this should only be a driver in a limited number of investments that account for a small fraction of a safe portfolio. Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more

Latest Obermatt Ranks


360° View^new
Sentiment Rank^new
Value Rank	49
Growth Rank	39
Safety Rank	72
Combined Rank	64

Country	USA
Industry	Life & Health Insurance
Index	Diversity USA, D.J. US Insurance, S&P MIDCAP
Size class	X-Large

27-Mar-2025. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.

Further information

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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
VALUE
VALUE	69	70	45	49
GROWTH
GROWTH	31	39	45	39
SAFETY
SAFETY	72	72	72	72
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	43	48	44	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	39	39	39	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 27-Mar-2025. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 30-Sep-2024. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better CNO Financial is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2022	2023	2024	2025
VALUE
VALUE	69	70	45	49
GROWTH
GROWTH	31	39	45	39
SAFETY
SAFETY	72	72	72	72
COMBINED
COMBINED	64	64	64	64

Last update of combined financial performance: 6-Oct-2022. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of CNO Financial the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 49 (worse than 51% compared with alternatives), CNO Financial shares are more expensive than the average comparable stock. 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 60 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is lower than for 60% 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 72, which means that the stock price is lower as regards to invested capital than for 72% of comparable investments. On the other hand, Price-to-Sales is less favorable than for 53% of alternatives (only 47% of peers have an even less favorable ratio). The same is valid for dividend yield, which is lower than for 60% 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 49, is a hold 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
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)	55	50	48	47
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	48	64	50	60
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	85	86	74	72
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	69	56	44	40
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	69	70	45	49

Last update of Value Rank: 27-Mar-2025. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of CNO Financial; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 39 (better than 39% 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 87 (above 87% of alternative investments). But Sales Growth has only a rank of 10, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 90% 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 39, 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
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	35	37	15	10
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	29	53	12	14
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	71	5	79	71
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	45	79	89	87
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	31	39	45	39

Last update of Growth Rank: 27-Mar-2025. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of CNO Financial.

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 19, meaning the company generates less profit to service its debt than 81% 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
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	10	5	8	6
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	84	84	84	84
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	27	42	26	19
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	72	72	72	72

Last update of Safety Rank: 6-Oct-2022. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of CNO Financial and the more cash is available to service its debt.

Sentiment Metrics in Detail

SENTIMENT	2022	2023	2024	2025
ANALYST OPINIONS
ANALYST OPINIONS	n/a	24	13	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	79	89	75	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	35	58	29	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	32	39	59	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	43	48	44	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 27-Mar-2025. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for CNO Financial.
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