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CNO Financial Group

CNO
36
Insurance - Life · Financial Services
Price
$53.52
+0.41 (+0.77%)
Market Cap
$5.00B
Winston Score
36
Winston is serious
Below-average fundamentals — multiple weak pillars.
Data as of Aug 23, 2026 · filings through Jun 30, 2026
How the score breaks down
Quality
Weak
Growth
Mixed
Cash Flow
Exceptional
Stability
Weak
Valuation
Strong
Dividends
Mixed

Share count falling — buybacks

25.4% over 4y

The company has reduced its share count over this period, returning value to shareholders through buybacks.

Diluted shares outstanding: 131.1M (2021) → 97.8M (2025)

Winston Score History

The full picture

CNO Financial Group sells life insurance, health insurance, and retirement products to middle-income Americans. Its main brands include Bankers Life, Washington National, and Pekin Life Insurance, which sell policies like Medicare supplements, long-term care coverage, annuities, and life insurance. The company focuses specifically on people near or in retirement who are not wealthy enough to use big private wealth managers but still need financial protection.

CNO makes money by collecting insurance premiums and earning investment income on the money it holds before paying out claims. It operates almost entirely in the United States and has roughly 3.3 million policyholders. Its competitive position comes from its focused niche serving middle-income retirees, a segment that larger insurers often overlook. The key growth driver is the aging U.S. population, which expands demand for Medicare supplement and retirement income products, though rising claims costs and interest rate swings on its investment portfolio remain ongoing risks.

Growth Profile

When traditional metrics don't capture the full picture, these are the signals growth stock investors use instead.

Revenue Growth

+11.6% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Steady revenue growth

EPS Growth

+48.4% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Strong earnings growth

R&D Spend

$0/ year

0.0% of revenue

Below sector average (7%)

Research and development spending

Insider Activity

3.2%ownership

Flat

Insider ownership roughly steady over the past year

Cash Position

Cash flow positive

$31.1B cash & investments

Company generates more cash than it spends — no dilution risk from fundraising

Growth + cash flow

CNO Financial Group is a rare growth stock that's already generating positive cash flow while growing at 12%. The Winston Score doesn't fully credit this transition from "burner" to "earner."

The Winston Score above measures business quality today. Growth stocks often score lower because they invest in the future rather than maximising current profits. These metrics show what matters most for evaluating that future.

Score breakdown

Every number that matters to educated investors.

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Quality

Profit per sale
Gross Margin
-35.8%
Thin — -35.8% gross margin
Profit after running costs
Operating Margin
-3.8%
Losing money on operations — -3.8%
Return on the money invested
ROCE
2.2%
Weak — 2.2% return on capital

ROIC between 0% and 5%. They earn a few cents back per dollar invested in the business.

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Growth

Sales growth
Sales YoY
+6.0%
Slow sales growth (+6.0% YoY)
Profit growth
EPS YoY
+7.7%
Modest earnings growth (+7.7% YoY)

Single-digit earnings growth — steady but not exciting.

How steady the profit is
EPS Consistency
4/8 quarters
Earnings inconsistent quarter-to-quarter

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Cash Flow

Profit that turns into cash
Cash Conversion
246%
Turns 246% of profit into real cash
Spare cash per sale
FCF Margin
14.8%
Converts sales into free cash efficiently (14.8%)

FCF margin between 10% and 20%. Every $100 in sales becomes $10 to $20 in real cash.

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Stability

What it owes vs what it owns
Debt / Equity
1.72
Elevated debt (1.72)
Covers its interest
Interest Cover
0.68x
Dangerous — barely covers interest (0.7x)

Interest coverage below 1. Their profits don't cover the interest bill.

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Valuation

Price vs profit
P/E Ratio (TTM)
18.0x
Fair value — P/E 18.0

P/E in the normal range. Price is roughly $15 for every $1 of yearly profit.

Cheaper or dearer next year
P/E vs Forward
+6.9
GROWING
Earnings expected to grow meaningfully — cheaper on forward P/E (18.0 → 11.1)

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Dividends

Dividend
Dividend Yield
1.25%
Small dividend — 1.25% yield

Modest yield. The bulk of any return needs to come from price appreciation.

Dividend record
Dividend Growth
+6.2%
Dividend growing modestly (6.2% YoY)

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