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CNOCNO Financial Group, Inc.Buy Wait6.0·$54.38
Buy WaitModerate Confidence
Investment thesis

CNO's balance-sheet quality stands out — free cash flow runs at 418% of net income with a Piotroski F-Score of 8 out of 9 — but the most recent quarter delivered a -57.91% earnings miss after three strong consecutive beats, the stock is overbought at RSI 75 and has already traded past its analyst target, and a high-severity reinsurance counterparty concentration adds tail risk that is difficult to underwrite at current levels.

Thesis pillars

  • Reinsurance Counterparty Concentration↓Deteriorating
  • Exceptional Cash Conversion Near Perfect Quality→Stable
  • Sharp Earnings Miss Breaks Beat Streak↑Improving
  • +1 more pillar — see the Why tab for full reasoning

Pillars as of Jul 3, 2026, based on the 10-K filed Feb 24, 2026

Full reasoning →

Open full analysis

CNO Financial Group, Inc. (CNO) Stock Analysis

Breakout setup

Buy WaitVALUE-TRAP 1/5GrowthModerate Confidence

Financial Services · Insurance - Life

Earnings today — results expected after close (2026-10-29). Expect elevated volatility around the report — consider waiting for post-earnings price action before new entries.

Wait for pullback to $51.52. Price sits above the model's entry target of $51.52; the risk/reward becomes favorable on a pullback. Key risks: Concentration risk — Counterparty: top-7 reinsurers; Analyst target reached - limited upside remaining.

CNO Financial Group markets health insurance, annuities and individual life insurance to middle-income pre-retirees and retirees across all 50 states through three brands: Bankers Life, Washington National and Colonial Penn. The company collected $4.6 billion in premiums in 2025... Read more

$54.38-14.4% A.UpsideScore 6.0/10#7 of 16 Insurance - Life
QualityF-score8 / 9FCF yield19.80%
IncomeYield1.32%(5y avg 1.92%)Payout23.88%sustainable
Entry $51.52(Default 5pct Sticky)Stop $49.60Analyst target $46.54(reached)A.R:R -2.9:1
Analyst consensus$54.75+0.7%4 analysts
$54.38price
$54.75mean
$52
$57

Wait for pullback to $51.52. Price sits above the model's entry target of $51.52; the risk/reward becomes favorable on a pullback. Key risks: Concentration risk — Counterparty: top-7 reinsurers; Analyst target reached - limited upside remaining. Chart setup: Golden cross, above all MAs, RSI 56, MACD bullish. Earnings today. Wait until post-earnings. Score 6.0/10, moderate confidence.

Passes 5/7 gates (positive momentum, clean insider activity, no SEC red flags, semi cycle peak clear, materials cycle peak clear). Fails on favorable risk/reward ratio and earnings proximity 0d<=7d. Suitability: moderate.

news + 30-day 8-K events · 5-min refresh

Recent developments

updated 2026-10-29
TrendMatrix Research · upcoming catalyst calendar

Upcoming dated catalysts

Thu, Oct 29, 2026Earnings today — results expected after close· next earnings call

Thesis

Rewards
Sector modifier (Financial Services): +1.0
Attractive valuation
Strong growth profile
Risks
Concentration risk — Counterparty: top-7 reinsurers
Analyst target reached - limited upside remaining
Leverage penalty (D/E 1.8): -1.0

Key Metrics

P/E (TTM)18.8
P/E (Fwd)10.7
Mkt Cap$5.0B
EV/EBITDA8.1
Profit Mgn6.0%
ROE10.9%
Rev Growth11.6%
Beta0.81
Dividend1.32%
Rating analysts11

Quality Signals

Piotroski F8/9MoatNarrow

Options Flow

P/C0.20bullish
IV41%normal

Concentration Risks(10-K Item 1A)

  • MEDIUMProductfixed indexed annuities38%
    10-K Item 1: 'Fixed Indexed Annuities. These products accounted for $1,739.9 million, or 38 percent, of our total premium collections during 2025.'
  • LOWGeographicFlorida12%
    10-K Item 1: 'Sales to residents of the following states accounted for at least 5 percent of our 2025 collected premiums: Florida (12 percent)'
  • HIGHcounterpartytop-7 reinsurers
    10-K Item 1A: 'Our seven largest reinsurers...accounted for 97 percent of our ceded life insurance inforce and 99 percent of our reinsurance receivables.'

Model-generated analysis — not investment advice. Not a registered investment advisor. Past performance does not guarantee future results. How we score · Editorial policy

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About TrendMatrix. TrendMatrix is a publisher of general securities research and market commentary. We publish on a regular schedule. All content is the same for every subscriber in a tier — we do not provide personalized investment advice and we do not take into account any individual subscriber's financial situation, investment objectives, risk tolerance, tax situation, or holdings.

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Conflicts and positions. People who build TrendMatrix, or entities they control, may hold positions, long or short, in securities it covers, and may trade them at any time. Positions are not disclosed individually. Verdicts are generated by an automated model applied by the same rules to every covered stock, and are not adjusted for any position held by the people who build TrendMatrix. We do not accept payment from issuers for coverage.

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Performance. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Performance figures reflect the published model only and do not reflect any individual subscriber's actual results.

Methodology · Editorial policy & full disclaimer

Rating Breakdown

1 floor-breaker

Ranks in the bottom of its industry peers on the composite signal. Better names in the same sector exist.static

Quality Rank
3.2
Value Rank
3.6
Growth Rank
6.0
GatesA.R:R -2.9=NEGATIVEEARNINGS PROXIMITY 0d<=7dMomentum 6.5>=5.5Insider activity: OKNo SEC red flagsSEMI CYCLE PEAK CLEARMATERIALS CYCLE PEAK CLEARBreakoutSuitability: Moderate
RSI
56 · Neutral
↑ 20D MA↑ 50D MA↑ 200D MAGOLDEN CROSSSupport $51.94Resistance $55.60

Price Targets

A.Upside-14.4%
A.R:R-2.9:1

Position Sizing

ConvictionNone
Suggested %0.5%
Max %1%
RegimeRisk-Off

Risk Alerts

! Target reached (-14.4% upside)
! Earnings today - binary event risk
! Negative risk/reward — downside exceeds upside

Earnings

B
B
B
M
3/4 beats
Next Earnings2026-10-29 (Earnings today — results expected after close)

Verdict History

reverse chrono — latest first
Loading history...
Verdicts are recorded on every nightly pipeline run. Rows capture transitions (verdict flips, score deltas ≥0.3, entry/TP/SL changes). Rows with a ▶ can be expanded to see the change reason. Aggregate cohort performance is tracked in the recommendation ledger.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CNO stock a buy right now?

Wait for pullback to $51.52. Price sits above the model's entry target of $51.52; the risk/reward becomes favorable on a pullback. Key risks: Concentration risk — Counterparty: top-7 reinsurers; Analyst target reached - limited upside remaining. Chart setup: Golden cross, above all MAs, RSI 56, MACD bullish. Earnings today. Wait until post-earnings. Analyst target $46.54 reached (−14.4%), stop $49.60 (−9.6%), A.R:R -2.9:1. Score 6.0/10, moderate confidence.

What is the CNO stock price target?

Analyst target $46.54 reached (−14.4% from $54.38); no take-profit level is published. Analyst target $46.54 reached (−14.4%), stop $49.60 (−9.6%), A.R:R -2.9:1. Stop-loss: $49.60.

What are the risks of investing in CNO?

Concentration risk — Counterparty: top-7 reinsurers; Analyst target reached - limited upside remaining; Leverage penalty (D/E 1.8): -1.0.

Is CNO overvalued or undervalued?

CNO Financial Group, Inc. trades at a P/E of 18.8 (forward 10.7). TrendMatrix value score: 7.6/10. Verdict: Buy (Wait for Entry).

What do analysts say about CNO?

11 analysts cover CNO with a consensus score of 3.5/5. Average price target: $55.

What does CNO Financial Group, Inc. do?CNO Financial Group markets health insurance, annuities and individual life insurance to middle-income pre-retirees and...

CNO Financial Group markets health insurance, annuities and individual life insurance to middle-income pre-retirees and retirees across all 50 states through three brands: Bankers Life, Washington National and Colonial Penn. The company collected $4.6 billion in premiums in 2025 with $38.8 billion in total assets, earning spread income primarily on fixed indexed annuities, which accounted for 38% of total premium collections.

Related stocks: LNC (Lincoln National Corporation) · BHF (Brighthouse Financial, Inc.) · PRI (Primerica, Inc.) · ABX (Abacus Global Management, Inc.) · JXN (Jackson Financial Inc.)
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