CNO Financial lifts 2026 earnings guidance by 9% at the midpoint after a third-quarter beat
The insurer earned $1.42 a share excluding significant items, $0.31 above expectations, on revenue of $1.09 billion against $1.02 billion forecast.
CNO Financial Group raised the midpoint of its full-year 2026 operating earnings guidance by 9% after a third quarter that beat expectations on both lines. That matters more than the beat itself, because it moves the forecast for the year, not just one set of results.
The insurer earned $1.42 a share excluding significant items, $0.31 or about 22% above what analysts expected. Revenue came in at $1.09 billion against $1.02 billion forecast, roughly $70 million ahead. A margin that wide is not a rounding error.
Chief executive Gary Bhojwani credited disciplined execution and improved profitability for the raise, and the quarter's numbers fit that account. But management's guidance is its own forecast, and it was lifted after a quarter that cleared the bar comfortably. One strong quarter does not show whether the higher earnings level will hold, and the fourth quarter is where the new midpoint will be tested.
CNO is not alone in reporting a good season. Principal Financial Group earned $2.49 a share on its comparison measure, 7% more than a year earlier, beat third-quarter estimates and raised its dividend to $0.85.
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