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CNO vs GNW
Which Stock Would AI Choose? CNO Financial Group (CNO) vs. Genworth Financial (GNW) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- CNO Financial Group has delivered 14 consecutive quarters of insurance sales growth, with full-year 2025 new annualized premiums (NAP) up 15%, reflecting sustained operational momentum.
- Genworth Financial relies heavily on its majority-owned mortgage insurance subsidiary Enact as its primary cash-flow engine, while its legacy long-term care (LTC) insurance block remains a persistent earnings drag.
- CNO trades at a higher P/E multiple (approximately 21.5x trailing earnings) and offers a 1.35% dividend yield, while GNW trades at roughly 19x trailing earnings with no dividend but maintains an aggressive share repurchase program.
- CNO's year-to-date price return of roughly 26% significantly outpaces GNW's approximately 10% YTD gain, though both stocks have posted positive 52-week returns.
- GNW's valuation is underpinned by Enact's steady capital distributions ($1.2 billion since its IPO) and a shrinking share count, whereas CNO's premium reflects its track record of consistent organic growth and improving return on equity (ROE).
- Both companies operate with moderate beta (below 1.0), indicating lower volatility relative to the broader market, but their risk profiles diverge sharply due to GNW's LTC exposure.
Introduction
Investors evaluating mid-cap insurance and financial services stocks often encounter CNO and GNW as two fundamentally distinct yet comparably sized opportunities in the sector. CNO Financial Group, headquartered in Carmel, Indiana, focuses exclusively on the U.S. middle-income market through health insurance, life insurance, and annuity products. Genworth Financial, based in Glen Allen, Virginia, operates a hybrid model: it is the majority owner of publicly traded mortgage insurer Enact Holdings (ACT) while managing a legacy closed block of long-term care, life, and annuity policies. This comparison examines how these two companies stack up across momentum, profitability, risk, and strategic positioning — helping investors discern which story aligns with their portfolio objectives.
CNO Overview and Recent Performance
CNO Financial Group develops, markets, and administers health insurance, annuity, individual life insurance, and other insurance products tailored for middle-income pre-retirees and retirees. The company operates through its Consumer and Worksite divisions, distributing products under the Bankers Life, Washington National, and Colonial Penn brands. In recent quarters, CNO has demonstrated remarkable consistency: the company posted its 14th consecutive quarter of strong insurance sales in the fourth quarter of 2025, with full-year total new annualized premiums (NAP) rising 15% year over year to a record level. Operating earnings per share (EPS) for full-year 2025 reached $4.40, an 11% increase from the prior year.
Strategic initiatives have further sharpened CNO's focus. The company executed a second reinsurance transaction through its Bermuda affiliate, ceding $1.8 billion of in-force supplemental health reserves, and announced its exit from the Worksite fee services business — a move expected to improve annual pre-tax income by roughly $20 million once completed in the first half of 2026. CNO raised its 2027 operating ROE improvement target by 50 basis points to 200 basis points total (off a 2024 run rate of approximately 10%). Book value per diluted share, excluding accumulated other comprehensive loss (AOCI), reached $38.81 at year-end 2025, up 6%. The company returned $386 million to shareholders in 2025, and its stock has appreciated approximately 45% over the trailing 12 months.
GNW Overview and Recent Performance
GNW Genworth Financial operates through two reportable segments: Enact, a leading U.S. private mortgage insurance provider, and the Closed Block, which contains legacy long-term care insurance, life insurance, and annuity products no longer actively sold. Enact is the dominant value driver, contributing $146 million in adjusted operating income in Q4 2025 alone and distributing $127 million in capital returns to Genworth in that quarter. Enact's primary insurance in-force reached $273 billion, supported by elevated persistency and steady new insurance written (NIW).
The Closed Block, however, continues to weigh on results. The LTC segment posted an adjusted operating loss of $159 million in Q4 2025, driven by unfavorable actual-versus-expected experience — primarily higher claims and lower policy terminations. Genworth continues to pursue its multi-year rate action plan (MYRAP), achieving approximately $34.5 billion in estimated net present value from in-force rate actions since 2012. For full-year 2025, Genworth reported net income of $223 million ($0.54 per diluted share) and adjusted operating income of $144 million ($0.35 per diluted share). The company executed $245 million in share repurchases during 2025, bringing the program total to $790 million since inception. Genworth's holding company cash and liquid assets stood at $234 million at year-end, and the legacy insurance companies' consolidated RBC (Risk-Based Capital) ratio was 300%.
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Head-to-Head Comparison
The most striking contrast between CNO and GNW lies in business model clarity and earnings quality. CNO operates a unified, growth-oriented insurance franchise serving the middle-income demographic — a segment benefiting from favorable aging-population tailwinds. Its 14-quarter streak of NAP growth signals durable demand and effective distribution. GNW, by contrast, is effectively a holding company where the crown jewel (Enact) generates reliable cash flows, but the legacy Closed Block — particularly long-term care — consistently offsets those gains with operating losses. While GNW's share repurchase program has meaningfully reduced the float (diluted shares fell from ~450 million in early 2024 to ~396 million by Q4 2025), this capital return strategy depends heavily on Enact's ability to sustain dividends to the parent.
On valuation, CNO commands a higher P/E multiple (approximately 21.5x trailing earnings vs. GNW's ~19x), reflecting the market's willingness to pay a premium for consistency and organic growth. CNO also offers a 1.35% dividend yield, whereas GNW pays no dividend. From a momentum standpoint, CNO's year-to-date gain of roughly 26% nearly triples GNW's approximately 10% YTD return. However, GNW trades at a significant discount to book value (price-to-book below 0.5x), while CNO trades closer to 1.4x book value per share. GNW's low valuation multiple may appeal to deep-value investors, but the overhang from LTC claims inflation and regulatory risk cannot be dismissed.
Risk profiles diverge meaningfully. CNO's primary risks include competitive pressure in the Medicare Advantage and supplemental health markets, interest rate sensitivity in its annuity business, and execution risk around its technology modernization program. GNW faces more structural risks: the long-term care block is in runoff and remains vulnerable to adverse claims experience, cost-of-care inflation, and the political sensitivity of premium rate increase approvals. GNW's reliance on Enact also introduces concentration risk; any downturn in the U.S. housing market or tightening of mortgage insurance regulations could disrupt the primary source of holding company liquidity.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Based on observable trends in momentum consistency, earnings quality, and strategic clarity, Tickeron's AI-driven analysis would likely lean in favor of CNO in the current market environment. CNO's 14-quarter streak of sales growth, expanding underwriting margins, improving ROE trajectory, and cleaner corporate structure present a more straightforward trend for algorithmic models to identify and follow. While GNW offers a compelling value proposition — underpinned by Enact's steady cash generation and an aggressive buyback program — the persistent volatility in its long-term care segment introduces noise that trend-following AI systems typically penalize. That said, should GNW's LTC rate actions begin to meaningfully narrow operating losses, or should Enact's capital returns accelerate further, the relative positioning could shift. The AI verdict, as always, remains probabilistic and contingent on evolving market conditions rather than representing a definitive prediction.
Disclaimer
The information on this webpage is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as investment advice, a recommendation to purchase or sell any security, or an offer or solicitation related to investments. It does not consider your personal financial situation, goals, or risk profile, and all investing carries inherent risks, including the possibility of losing your entire investment. For more details, please review our full disclaimer.
To compare these two companies we present long-term analysis, their fundamental ratings and make comparative short-term technical analysis which are presented below. The conclusion is CNO is a StrongBuy and GNW is a Hold.
Long-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a long-term outlook for a ticker by using Fundamental Analysis (FA) ratings. The rating of 1 to 100, where 1 is best and 100 is worst, is divided into thirds. The first third (a green rating of 1-33) indicates that the ticker is undervalued; the second third (a grey number between 34 and 66) means that the ticker is valued fairly; and the last third (red number of 67 to 100) reflects that the ticker is undervalued. We use an FA Score to show how many ratings show the ticker to be undervalued (green) or overvalued (red).
CNO’s FA Score shows that 2 FA rating(s) are green whileGNW’s FA Score has 2 green FA rating(s).
- CNO’s FA Score: 2 green, 3 red.
- GNW’s FA Score: 2 green, 3 red.
Short-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a short-term outlook for a ticker by using Technical Analysis (TA) indicators. We use Odds of Success as the percentage of outcomes which confirm successful trade signals in the past.
If the Odds of Success (the likelihood of the continuation of a trend) for each indicator are greater than 50%, then the generated signal is confirmed. A green percentage from 90% to 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bullish trend. A red percentage from 90% - 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bearish trend. All grey percentages are below 50% and are considered not to confirm the trend signal.
CNO’s TA Score shows that 3 TA indicator(s) are bullish while GNW’s TA Score has 2 bullish TA indicator(s).
- CNO’s TA Score: 3 bullish, 5 bearish.
- GNW’s TA Score: 2 bullish, 6 bearish.
Price Growth
CNO (@Life/Health Insurance) experienced а +3.49% price change this week, while GNW (@Life/Health Insurance) price change was -0.91% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Life/Health Insurance industry was +1.10%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was +2.15%, and the average quarterly price growth was +5.83%.
Reported Earning Dates
CNO is expected to report earnings on Nov 04, 2026.
GNW is expected to report earnings on Aug 05, 2026.
Industries' Descriptions
@Life/Health Insurance (+1.10% weekly)Life insurance companies mainly sell policies that pay a death benefit as a lump sum upon the death of the insured to their beneficiaries. Life insurance policies may be sold as term life, (which guarantees payment of a stated death benefit and expires at the end of a specified term) or permanent /typically whole life (which is more expensive but lasts a lifetime and carries a cash accumulation component). Life insurance firms may also sell long-term disability policies that help to replace the insured individual’s income if they become sick or disabled. Health insurance, on the other hand, helps pay for medical expenses. Anthem, Inc., MetLife, Inc. and Aflac Incorporated are some of the largest U.S. companies in this industry.
| CNO | GNW | CNO / GNW | |
| Capitalization | 5.14B | 3.77B | 137% |
| EBITDA | N/A | N/A | - |
| Gain YTD | 30.736 | 8.859 | 347% |
| P/E Ratio | 19.00 | 18.90 | 100% |
| Revenue | 4.51B | 7.07B | 64% |
| Total Cash | N/A | 8.51B | - |
| Total Debt | 4.3B | 1.51B | 285% |
CNO | GNW | ||
|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 94 | 35 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 55 Fair valued | 53 Fair valued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 4 | 7 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 88 | 92 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 39 | 44 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 20 | 26 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | 50 | 50 |
Tickeron ratings are formulated such that a rating of 1 designates the most successful stocks in a given industry, while a rating of 100 points to the least successful stocks for that industry.
GNW's Valuation (53) in the Life Or Health Insurance industry is in the same range as CNO (55). This means that GNW’s stock grew similarly to CNO’s over the last 12 months.
CNO's Profit vs Risk Rating (4) in the Life Or Health Insurance industry is in the same range as GNW (7). This means that CNO’s stock grew similarly to GNW’s over the last 12 months.
CNO's SMR Rating (88) in the Life Or Health Insurance industry is in the same range as GNW (92). This means that CNO’s stock grew similarly to GNW’s over the last 12 months.
CNO's Price Growth Rating (39) in the Life Or Health Insurance industry is in the same range as GNW (44). This means that CNO’s stock grew similarly to GNW’s over the last 12 months.
CNO's P/E Growth Rating (20) in the Life Or Health Insurance industry is in the same range as GNW (26). This means that CNO’s stock grew similarly to GNW’s over the last 12 months.
| CNO | GNW | |
|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 67% | 4 days ago 66% |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 48% | 4 days ago 64% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 60% | 4 days ago 63% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 34% | 4 days ago 65% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 62% | 4 days ago 59% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 61% | 4 days ago 60% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 63% | 6 days ago 67% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 14 days ago 48% | 4 days ago 59% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 66% | 4 days ago 73% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 4 days ago 62% | 4 days ago 58% |
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CNO and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, CNO has been loosely correlated with JXN. These tickers have moved in lockstep 66% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is some statistical probability that if CNO jumps, then JXN could also see price increases.
GNW and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, GNW has been loosely correlated with CNO. These tickers have moved in lockstep 59% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is some statistical probability that if GNW jumps, then CNO could also see price increases.