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Is CNO Financial Group (CNO) a Great Value Stock Right Now?

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The proven Zacks Rank system focuses on earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find winning stocks. Nevertheless, we know that our readers all have their own perspectives, so we are always looking at the latest trends in value, growth, and momentum to find strong picks.

Considering these trends, value investing is clearly one of the most preferred ways to find strong stocks in any type of market. Value investors use tried-and-true metrics and fundamental analysis to find companies that they believe are undervalued at their current share price levels.

Zacks has developed the innovative Style Scores system to highlight stocks with specific traits. For example, value investors will be interested in stocks with great grades in the "Value" category. When paired with a high Zacks Rank, "A" grades in the Value category are among the strongest value stocks on the market today.

One company to watch right now is CNO Financial Group (CNO - Free Report) . CNO is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), as well as a Value grade of A.

Another valuation metric that we should highlight is CNO's P/B ratio of 2.04. The P/B ratio is used to compare a stock's market value with its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. This company's current P/B looks solid when compared to its industry's average P/B of 2.99. CNO's P/B has been as high as 2.13 and as low as 0.53, with a median of 0.96, over the past year.

Value investors also frequently use the P/S ratio. This metric is found by dividing a stock's price with the company's revenue. This is a popular metric because sales are harder to manipulate on an income statement, so they are often considered a better performance indicator. CNO has a P/S ratio of 0.81. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 0.9.

Finally, our model also underscores that CNO has a P/CF ratio of 3.67. This metric takes into account a company's operating cash flow and can be used to find stocks that are undervalued based on their solid cash outlook. CNO's current P/CF looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 10.60. CNO's P/CF has been as high as 4.29 and as low as 2.36, with a median of 3.06, all within the past year.

These figures are just a handful of the metrics value investors tend to look at, but they help show that CNO Financial Group is likely being undervalued right now. Considering this, as well as the strength of its earnings outlook, CNO feels like a great value stock at the moment.


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