CNO Financial Group's (NYSE:CNO) Shareholders Will Receive A Bigger Dividend Than Last Year

CNO Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CNO) will increase its dividend from last year's comparable payment on the 23rd of June to $0.15. This takes the annual payment to 2.8% of the current stock price, which is about 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. However, CNO Financial Group's earnings easily cover the dividend. This means that most of its earnings are being retained to grow the business.

The next year is set to see EPS grow by 84.1%. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 19% by next year, which we think can be pretty sustainable going forward.

CNO Financial Group Has A Solid Track Record

The company has a sustained record of paying dividends with very little fluctuation. Since 2013, the annual payment back then was $0.08, compared to the most recent full-year payment of $0.60. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 22% per annum over that time. It is good to see that there has been strong dividend growth, and that there haven't been any cuts for a long time.

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 seen EPS rising for the last five years, at 9.6% per annum. With a decent amount of growth and a low payout ratio, we think this bodes well for CNO Financial Group's prospects of growing its dividend payments in the future.

CNO Financial Group Looks Like A Great Dividend Stock

Overall, we think this could be an attractive income stock, and it is only getting better by paying a higher dividend this year. 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. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. For example, we've identified 2 warning signs for CNO Financial Group (1 doesn't sit too well with us!) that you should be aware of before investing. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our collection of strong dividend payers.

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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.