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CNO or MET or PRU
Which Stock Would AI Choose? CNO Financial Group (CNO) vs. MetLife (MET) vs. Prudential Financial (PRU) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- CNO Financial Group (CNO) delivered robust Q1 2026 results with operating EPS (earnings per share) up 33% to $1.05 and new annualized premiums rising 11%, driving shares near 52-week highs.
- MetLife (MET) raised its dividend by 4.4%, signaling confidence ahead of Q1 earnings, with shares showing stability amid sector pressures.
- Prudential Financial (PRU) extended its Japan sales pause, projecting a $525-575 million hit to 2026 earnings, contributing to recent share pressure despite a solid dividend yield.
- Valuation metrics highlight PRU's low P/E (price-to-earnings) ratio around 10, compared to CNO and MET near 17, though PRU carries higher international risk.
- YTD performance favors CNO at +5.5%, ahead of MET's +2.4%, with PRU mixed due to recent headwinds in recent market activity.
- All three operate in life and health insurance, but CNO's focused U.S. growth contrasts with MET's global scale and PRU's retirement emphasis.
Introduction
This stock comparison examines CNO, MET, and PRU, three prominent players in the life insurance sector offering exposure to annuities, Medicare supplements, and employee benefits. Investors seeking relative performance insights amid interest rate shifts and economic uncertainty may find value here, as these firms differ in scale, geographic focus, and growth drivers. Recent market activity has highlighted contrasts in earnings momentum and risk profiles, aiding decisions on portfolio positioning or sector rotation. Traders monitoring insurance stocks for dividend reliability or momentum plays will benefit from this objective analysis of their current market positioning.
CNO Overview and Recent Performance
CNO Financial Group (CNO) specializes in insurance products for middle-income seniors in the U.S., including Medicare supplement plans and annuities. In recent weeks, shares traded around $44.63, near the 52-week high of $44.94, reflecting positive sentiment from Q1 2026 earnings. Operating EPS surged 33% to $1.05, excluding significant items up 42%, fueled by 11% growth in new annualized premiums and 53% in Medicare policies. The company returned $77 million to shareholders via buybacks and dividends. With a P/E of 17.43, beta of 0.83 (indicating lower volatility), and market cap of $4.2 billion, CNO has shown resilience in recent market activity, buoyed by consistent sales growth over 15 quarters.
MET Overview and Recent Performance
MetLife (MET), a global leader in life insurance, annuities, and group benefits, serves diverse markets including the U.S., Asia, and Latin America. Shares hovered near $80.23 in recent trading, within a 52-week range of $67.33-$83.85, with YTD gains of 2.36%. Anticipation builds for Q1 2026 earnings on May 6, supported by higher variable investment income guidance of $475-525 million pre-tax and a 4.4% dividend increase to $2.37 annually (yield 2.95%). P/E stands at 17.03, beta 0.77, and market cap $51.8 billion. Recent stability stems from leadership transitions and analyst optimism on EPS growth to $9.85 for 2026, though volume remains below average amid broader sector caution.
PRU Overview and Recent Performance
Prudential Financial (PRU) provides retirement, insurance, and investment management services, with significant exposure to Japan and the U.S. Shares traded around $98.62 recently, in a 52-week range of $91.89-$119.76. Q1 earnings loom on May 5 amid headwinds from a prolonged Japan sales pause, now extended 180 days, potentially cutting 2026 pre-tax adjusted operating earnings by $525-575 million. Dividend yield leads at 5.53%, P/E 9.87, beta 0.85, and market cap $34.3 billion. Sentiment has softened in recent weeks due to this international overhang, despite analyst targets around $99, contrasting earlier YTD strength.
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Head-to-Head Comparison
CNO, MET, and PRU share life insurance cores but diverge in models: CNO's niche U.S. senior focus yields agile growth, MET's global diversification buffers volatility, and PRU's retirement tilt exposes it to Japan risks. Recent momentum favors CNO's sales surge versus MET's steady gains and PRU's pullback. Risk factors include CNO's smaller scale, MET's currency swings, and PRU's regulatory hurdles. Sector exposure is U.S.-heavy for CNO, balanced for MET, international for PRU. Valuation sensitivity shows PRU's attractive P/E but earnings risks, while CNO and MET trade at premiums reflecting stability. Market sentiment leans positive on CNO post-earnings, neutral on MET, cautious on PRU.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Tickeron's AI models currently lean toward CNO based on superior trend consistency, Q1 earnings catalysts, and relative YTD outperformance in recent market activity. While MET offers scale and dividends, and PRU tempts with yield, CNO's momentum and lower beta suggest higher probability of near-term upside, though all carry sector risks.
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 Disclaimers and Limitations.
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 whileMET’s FA Score has 3 green FA rating(s), and PRU’s FA Score reflects 1 green FA rating(s).
- CNO’s FA Score: 2 green, 3 red.
- MET’s FA Score: 3 green, 2 red.
- PRU’s FA Score: 1 green, 4 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 4 TA indicator(s) are bullish while MET’s TA Score has 5 bullish TA indicator(s), and PRU’s TA Score reflects 5 bullish TA indicator(s).
- CNO’s TA Score: 4 bullish, 4 bearish.
- MET’s TA Score: 5 bullish, 4 bearish.
- PRU’s TA Score: 5 bullish, 3 bearish.
Price Growth
CNO (@Life/Health Insurance) experienced а +3.95% price change this week, while MET (@Life/Health Insurance) price change was +3.32% , and PRU (@Life/Health Insurance) price fluctuated +0.95% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Life/Health Insurance industry was +3.41%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was -0.89%, and the average quarterly price growth was +1.32%.
Reported Earning Dates
CNO is expected to report earnings on Aug 03, 2026.
MET is expected to report earnings on Aug 05, 2026.
PRU is expected to report earnings on Aug 04, 2026.
Industries' Descriptions
@Life/Health Insurance (+3.41% 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 | MET | PRU | |
| Capitalization | 4.55B | 55.1B | 36.5B |
| EBITDA | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Gain YTD | 15.145 | 10.011 | -5.617 |
| P/E Ratio | 19.64 | 16.55 | 10.83 |
| Revenue | 4.51B | 76B | 63B |
| Total Cash | 9.11B | 121B | 83.5B |
| Total Debt | 4.3B | 21.1B | 23.1B |
CNO | MET | PRU | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 87 | 81 | 75 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 56 Fair valued | 31 Undervalued | 9 Undervalued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 14 | 38 | 59 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 43 | 24 | 49 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 20 | 30 | 86 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | 50 | 36 | n/a |
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.
PRU's Valuation (9) in the Financial Conglomerates industry is in the same range as MET (31) in the Life Or Health Insurance industry, and is somewhat better than the same rating for CNO (56) in the Life Or Health Insurance industry. This means that PRU's stock grew similarly to MET’s and somewhat faster than CNO’s over the last 12 months.
CNO's Profit vs Risk Rating (14) in the Life Or Health Insurance industry is in the same range as MET (38) in the Life Or Health Insurance industry, and is somewhat better than the same rating for PRU (59) in the Financial Conglomerates industry. This means that CNO's stock grew similarly to MET’s and somewhat faster than PRU’s over the last 12 months.
CNO's SMR Rating (100) in the Life Or Health Insurance industry is in the same range as MET (100) in the Life Or Health Insurance industry, and is in the same range as PRU (100) in the Financial Conglomerates industry. This means that CNO's stock grew similarly to MET’s and similarly to PRU’s over the last 12 months.
MET's Price Growth Rating (24) in the Life Or Health Insurance industry is in the same range as CNO (43) in the Life Or Health Insurance industry, and is in the same range as PRU (49) in the Financial Conglomerates industry. This means that MET's stock grew similarly to CNO’s and similarly to PRU’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 MET (30) in the Life Or Health Insurance industry, and is significantly better than the same rating for PRU (86) in the Financial Conglomerates industry. This means that CNO's stock grew similarly to MET’s and significantly faster than PRU’s over the last 12 months.
| CNO | MET | PRU | |
|---|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 68% | 2 days ago 56% | N/A |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 60% | 2 days ago 51% | 2 days ago 55% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 64% | 2 days ago 55% | 2 days ago 65% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 57% | 2 days ago 63% | 2 days ago 70% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 60% | 2 days ago 58% | 2 days ago 61% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 59% | 2 days ago 49% | 2 days ago 54% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 61% | 6 days ago 63% | 6 days ago 59% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 13 days ago 50% | 14 days ago 55% | 2 days ago 56% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 67% | 2 days ago 62% | 2 days ago 58% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 56% | 2 days ago 53% | 2 days ago 44% |
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MET and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, MET has been closely correlated with PRU. These tickers have moved in lockstep 74% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is a high statistical probability that if MET jumps, then PRU could also see price increases.