CNO Financial Group(US:CNO) ZACKS·2026-02-06 19:40Core Insights - CNO Financial Group, Inc. reported fourth-quarter 2025 adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.47, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 22.5% and increasing from $1.31 a year ago [1][9] - Operating revenues reached $1.2 billion, a 2.6% year-over-year increase, surpassing the consensus mark by 17.7% [1][9] Financial Performance - Total insurance policy income rose 2.9% year over year to $662.2 million, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $655.4 million, driven by improved collected premiums from annuity, life, and health products [3] - Collected premiums from annuity, health, and life products totaled $1.2 billion, reflecting a 3.4% year-over-year increase, with annuity premiums at $508.3 million (up 3.1%), health premiums at $435.7 million (up 3.8%), and life premiums at $247.6 million (up 3.3%) [5][6] - New annualized premiums for health products surged 30.7% year over year, while life products increased by 0.9% [6] Expenses and Losses - Total benefits and expenses escalated 19.3% year over year to $1 billion, attributed to higher insurance policy benefits and operating costs [6][9] - Net investment losses narrowed to $25.2 million from $35.1 million in the prior-year quarter [4] Financial Position - As of December 31, 2025, CNO Financial had unrestricted cash and cash equivalents of $956.1 million, down 42.3% from the end of 2024 [7] - Total assets increased by 2.5% year over year to $38.8 billion, while total shareholders' equity grew 4.9% to $2.6 billion [7] - Book value per common share rose 12.8% to $27.92 [8] Shareholder Returns - CNO Financial returned $60 million to shareholders through share buybacks and $16.2 million in dividends during the fourth quarter [10] Future Guidance - For 2026, CNO anticipates operating EPS in the range of $4.25-$4.45, indicating a 1.1% decline from the 2025 figure of $4.40 [11] - The company estimates excess cash flow of $200-$250 million and projects an expense ratio between 18.8-19.2% for 2026 [11]