Insurer CNO Financial Group, Inc. CNO recently announced a 5.9% increase in its quarterly cash dividend to 18 cents per share from 17 cents paid out earlier. The increased amount will be paid out on June 24, 2026, to its shareholders on record as of June 10, 2025. However, based on the closing price of $45.90 per share on May 7, the stock has a dividend yield of 1.57%, lower than the industry average of 2.52%. This leaves more room for future dividend growth.
This move signals the 14th annual dividend hike by the company. If we look back at the last reported quarter, CNOpaid out dividends worth $17.1 million. Furthermore, it bought back 1.4 million shares for $60 million in the first quarter. It had around $360.4 million left from the current buyback program as of March 31, 2026.
Now, let’s check its financial position, which enables it to take shareholder-friendly moves.
Its operating cash flow increased 17.7% in 2023, 7.7% in 2024, 7.6% in 2025 and 8.9% in the first quarter of 2026. CNO Financial exited the first quarter with unrestricted cash and cash equivalents of $1.1 billion, which rose 18.1% from the 2025-end level.
However, the debt burden keeps increasing. At first quarter-end, long-term debt reached above $4 billion from $3.8 billion at 2025-end. Its debt-to-capital was 34.8% at the first-quarter end, which deteriorated 120 basis points from the 2025-end figure.
Nevertheless, given its continued sales momentum, focus on the middle-income market and growing insurance product margin, its financial strength is likely to improve in the future.
Shares of the company have jumped 8% so far this year, outperforming the industry average of 3.9% decline.
Zacks Rank & Key Picks
CNO currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some better-ranked stocks in the broader insurance space are Hamilton Insurance Group, Ltd. HG, Aegon Ltd. AEG and Radian Group Inc. RDN, each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Hamilton Insurance’s current-year earnings of $3.46 per share increased by 4 cents over the past 60 days. HG beat earnings estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, with the average surprise being 84.8%. The consensus estimate for current-year revenues is pegged at $2.8 billion.
The consensus estimate for Aegon’s current-year earnings is pegged at 28 cents, which remained stable over the past week. The consensus mark for AEG’s current-year revenues of $22.4 billion implies a 110.5% year-over-year surge.
The consensus estimate for Radian Group’s current-year earnings is pegged at $4.79 per share, which indicates 7.6% year-over-year growth. It beat earnings estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, with the average surprise being 10.7%. The consensus estimate for RDN’s current-year revenues is pegged at $1.2 billion.
Radical New Technology Could Hand Investors Huge Gains
Quantum Computing is the next technological revolution, and it could be even more advanced than AI.
While some believed the technology was years away, it is already present and moving fast. Large hyperscalers, such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Oracle, and even Meta and Tesla, are scrambling to integrate quantum computing into their infrastructure.
Senior Stock Strategist Kevin Cook reveals 7 carefully selected stocks poised to dominate the quantum computing landscape in his report, Beyond AI: The Quantum Leap in Computing Power .
Kevin was among the early experts who recognized NVIDIA's enormous potential back in 2016. Now, he has keyed in on what could be "the next big thing" in quantum computing supremacy. Today, you have a rare chance to position your portfolio at the forefront of this opportunity.
See Top Quantum Stocks Now >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
Aegon NV (AEG): Free Stock Analysis Report
CNO Financial Group, Inc. (CNO): Free Stock Analysis Report
Radian Group Inc. (RDN): Free Stock Analysis Report
Hamilton Insurance Group, Ltd. (HG): Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).