Bulls & Bears, Caterpillar & CNO Financial (CAT, CNO)

What happens when you have a bull and a bear? One goes up and one goes down, or at least that is the hope of Zacks Investment Research.  Caterpillar, Inc. (NYSE: CAT) and CNO Financial Group (NYSE: CNO) have been featured today.

Caterpillar, Inc. (NYSE: CAT) was named as the Bull of the Day.  The driving force was a 53% earnings growth and it has maintained an Outperform rating with a $134.00 objective price target on the stock.  It noted, “With the Bucyrus acquisition, the company is positioned to be the #1 mining equipment manufacturer in the U.S. with a strong footing in the major mining markets of China and India. Caterpillar’s strong brand name, pricing power and global dealer network put it in a position to capitalize on the growing need for infrastructure development worldwide.”  FULL CATERPILLAR REPORT

CNO Financial Group (NYSE: CNO) was named as the Bear of the Day.  It was also downgraded to Underperform “based on the continuous deterioration in the premium revenue of its Bankers Life segment, coupled with the significant underwriting and pricing risks. The company’s third-quarter earnings results were driven by poor top-line performance in most business segments.” Zacks sees a price target at $5.75 on CNO.  FULL CNO REPORT