CNO Financial Group, Inc. (CNO) Hit a 52 Week High, Can the Run Continue?

A strong stock as of late has been CNO Financial (CNO). Shares have been marching higher, with the stock up 12.2% over the past month. The stock hit a new 52-week high of $52.82 in the previous session. CNO has gained 24.3% since the start of the year compared to the 3.7% move for the Zacks Finance sector and the -0.9% return for the Zacks Insurance - Multi line industry.What's Driving the Outperformance?The stock has a great record of positive earnings surprises, having beaten the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the last four quarters. In its last earnings report on April 30, 2026, CNO reported EPS of $1.29 versus consensus estimate of $0.91.For the current fiscal year, CNO is expected to post earnings of $4.46 per share on $3.99 in revenues. This represents a 9.31% change in EPS on a -11.73% change in revenues. For the next fiscal year, the company is expected to earn $4.89 per share on $4.11 in revenues. This represents a year-over-year change of 9.75% and 3.03%, respectively.Valuation MetricsThough CNO has recently hit a 52-week high, what is next for CNO? A key aspect of this question is taking a look at valuation metrics in order to determine if the company is due for a pullback from this level.On this front, we can look at the Zacks Style Scores, as these give investors a variety of ways to comb through stocks (beyond looking at the Zacks Rank of a security). The individual style scores for Value, Growth, Momentum and the combined VGM Score run from A through F. The idea behind the style scores is to help investors pick the most appropriate Zacks Rank stocks based on their individual investment style.CNO has a Value Score of A. The stock's Growth and Momentum Scores are D and D, respectively, giving the company a VGM Score of B.In terms of its value breakdown, the stock currently trades at 11.8X current fiscal year EPS estimates, which is a premium to the peer industry average of 9.6X. On a trailing cash flow basis, the stock currently trades at 7.7X versus its peer group's average of 9.5X. This is good enough to put the company in the top echelon of all stocks we cover from a value perspective, making CNO an interesting choice for value investors.Zacks RankWe also need to consider the stock's Zacks Rank, as this is even more important than the company's VGM Score. Fortunately, CNO currently has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) thanks to favorable earnings estimate revisions from covering analysts.Since we recommend that investors select stocks carrying Zacks Rank of 1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) and Style Scores of A or B, it looks as if CNO passes the test. Thus, it seems as though CNO shares could have potential in the weeks and months to come.How Does CNO Stack Up to the Competition?Shares of CNO have been soaring, and the company still appears to be a decent choice, but what about the rest of the industry? One industry peer that looks good is Hamilton Insurance Group, Ltd. (HG). HG has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) and a Value Score of A, a Growth Score of B, and a Momentum Score of D.Earnings were strong last quarter. Hamilton Insurance Group, Ltd. beat our consensus estimate by 60.78%, and for the current fiscal year, HG is expected to post earnings of $4.10 per share on revenue of $2.87 billion.Shares of Hamilton Insurance Group, Ltd. have gained 2.3% over the past month, and currently trade at a forward P/E of 7.9X and a P/CF of 6.82X.The Insurance - Multi line industry may rank in the bottom 63% of all the industries we have in our universe, but there still looks like there are some nice tailwinds for CNO and HG, even beyond their own solid fundamental situation.7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 DaysJust released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers "Most Likely for Early Price Pops."Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +23.7% per year. So be sure to give these hand picked 7 your immediate attention. See them now >>This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks