CNO Financial Group (NYSE:CNO) Has Announced That It Will Be Increasing Its Dividend To $0.15

The board of CNO Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CNO) has announced that it will be increasing its dividend by 7.1% on the 23rd of June to $0.15, up from last year's comparable payment of $0.14. The payment will take the dividend yield to 2.6%, which is in line with the average for the industry.

See our latest analysis for CNO Financial Group

CNO Financial Group's Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage

We like a dividend to be consistent over the long term, so checking whether it is sustainable is important. Before making this announcement, CNO Financial Group was easily earning enough to cover the dividend. This means that most of what the business earns is being used to help it grow.

Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise by 84.1% over the next year. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio will be 18%, which is in the range that makes us comfortable with the sustainability of the dividend.

CNO Financial Group Has A Solid Track Record

The company has a sustained record of paying dividends with very little fluctuation. The dividend has gone from an annual total of $0.08 in 2013 to the most recent total annual payment of $0.56. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 21% per annum over that time. Rapidly growing dividends for a long time is a very valuable feature for an income stock.

The Dividend Has Growth Potential

Some investors will be chomping at the bit to buy some of the company's stock based on its dividend history. CNO Financial Group has impressed us by growing EPS at 9.5% per year over the past five years. CNO Financial Group definitely has the potential to grow its dividend in the future with earnings on an uptrend and a low payout ratio.

We Really Like CNO Financial Group's Dividend

In summary, it is always positive to see the dividend being increased, and we are particularly pleased with its overall sustainability. Distributions are quite easily covered by earnings, which are also being converted to cash flows. All of these factors considered, we think this has solid potential as a dividend stock.

Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. Case in point: We've spotted 2 warning signs for CNO Financial Group (of which 1 can't be ignored!) you should know about. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high yield dividend stocks.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.