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CNO · NYSE · STOCK

CNO Financial Group (CNO) Stock Analysis

Financial Services Updated September 06, 2026
$56.78
52W $38.22 – $57.59
64/100
$5.30B
19.1
0.81
AI Committee Verdict
Buy
64/100
Conviction: Moderate · 67% agreement · 6 analysts
-29.1%
Moderate

Is CNO Bullish or Bearish?

Bullish. Innellis AI committee rates CNO Financial Group (CNO) Buy with a composite score of 64/100 , based on 6 analysts with 67% agreement. Last updated September 06, 2026.

What Would Change This View

Upgrade to Strong Buy
Requires a committee score of 75.0 — +11.32 from today. Applies on the first day at or above the line; upgrades are never dampened.
Downgrade to Watch
Requires the score to fall below 55.0 — -8.68 from today. The band boundary is 60.0, but a one-step downgrade must clear a further margin first. A score oscillating around the line should not change the rating every night.

Executive Summary

The primary driver is vix regime is low -- calm backdrop supports risk-taking. The main limiting factor is debt-to-equity of 1.54 adds balance-sheet risk to the value case. The committee is constructive but not yet at full conviction.

Bull & Bear Case

Bull Case
  • 5 consecutive earnings beats -- consistent execution — Growth
  • Quarter-over-quarter growth rate is ACCELERATING, not just positive — Growth
  • Price structure making higher highs and higher lows — Technical
  • MACD histogram positive -- bullish momentum — Technical
  • Trend and market structure agree -- coherent bullish picture — Technical
  • Weekly trend (uptrend) confirms the daily trend -- multi-timeframe agreement — Technical
Bear Case
  • Debt-to-equity of 1.54 adds balance-sheet risk to the value case — Value
  • RSI at 74 is in overbought territory — Technical
  • Price trading above the upper Bollinger Band -- stretched — Technical
  • Weekly RSI at 77 -- overbought on the larger timeframe too — Technical
  • High leverage (debt-to-equity 1.54) amplifies downside in a stress scenario — Risk
Both cases are generated from quantitative data signals, not qualitative or forward-looking judgement. They summarise what the numbers say today.
Price History (6M)

AI Investment Committee

Committee Consensus As of September 06, 2026
Overall Committee Score
64/100
Agreement
67%
Analysts
6
Conviction
Moderate
Sector Rank
Top 55%
of 211 Financial Services peers
Value Analyst neutral
50 / 100 · Moderate confidence
Fair value -- neither a bargain nor obviously overpriced
− Debt-to-equity of 1.54 adds balance-sheet risk to the value case
Growth Analyst bullish
68 / 100 · High confidence
Strong, accelerating growth with consistent execution
+ 5 consecutive earnings beats -- consistent execution
Technical Analyst bullish
61 / 100 · High confidence
Price action is constructive -- trend and momentum agree
+ Price structure making higher highs and higher lows
− RSI at 74 is in overbought territory
Risk Analyst neutral
50 / 100 · Moderate confidence
Moderate risk -- no single red flag, but nothing that clearly de-risks the position either
− High leverage (debt-to-equity 1.54) amplifies downside in a stress scenario
Macro Analyst bullish
80 / 100 · Low confidence
Macro backdrop is supportive of risk assets generally, and this name's beta works in its favor
+ VIX regime is low -- calm backdrop supports risk-taking
News Analyst bullish
73 / 100 · Low confidence
News flow and recent filings/analyst actions are net positive
+ News sentiment is positive (+0.46 across 13 articles, 14d)
Portfolio Manager neutral
45 / 100 · High confidence
Portfolio-level factors are mixed -- worth a deliberate sizing decision, not a default-size position
+ Portfolio position concentration is currently healthy
− Sector concentration is already high (HHI 2704.43)
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Investment Thesis Evolution

Committee score moved marginally from 63.7 to 63.7.

Comparing 2026-09-05 to 2026-09-06 (1 day apart).

Technical Analysis

RSI (14)
74.2
Overbought
MACD Histogram
0.158
Bullish Momentum
Trend Direction
Uptrend
Weekly: Uptrend
Market Structure
Hh Hl
Bollinger %B
1.04
Above Upper Band
Price vs Moving Averages
EMA 9
$55.48 Above
EMA 21
$54.87 Above
EMA 50
$53.46 Above
EMA 200
$47.42 Above

Fundamental Analysis

Valuation
67
Growth
95
Profitability
34
Financial Health
19
Cash Flow
70
Valuation
P/E Ratio 19.1×
P/B Ratio 2.04×
PEG Ratio 2.51
Dividend Yield 1.22%
52W High $57.59
52W Low $38.22
Quality & Growth
ROE 869.1%
ROA 59.1%
Gross Margin 4342.3%
Operating Margin 765.5%
Revenue Growth YoY
Debt / Equity 1.76
AI Fundamental Assessment
P/E ratio of 19.1 (inexpensive relative to a 15-40x range); Price-to-book of 2.0x; PEG ratio of 2.5 (under 1.0 suggests growth is undervalued relative to price); Return on equity of 8.7%; Return on assets of 0.6%; Net margin of 6.0%; Gross margin of 43.4%; Current ratio of 0.07 (tight short-term liquidity); Debt-to-equity of 1.76; Free cash flow per share is positive (7.50); Most recent quarter beat estimates by 30.4%; 5 consecutive earnings beats; EPS growth accelerating (-28.6% -> +20.0% QoQ); Average YoY EPS growth of 44.8%; Analyst estimates rising over recent quarters
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