CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) Downgraded to Hold at StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report published on Wednesday.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of CNA Financial from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Bank of America cut CNA Financial from a neutral rating to an underperform rating and upped their price target for the company from $39.00 to $43.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 6th.

CNA Financial Stock Up 0.1 %

NYSE CNA traded up $0.03 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $44.81. 291,562 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 217,120. The company has a market capitalization of $12.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.16, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.63. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $44.06 and a 200 day simple moving average of $43.00. CNA Financial has a 12 month low of $36.41 and a 12 month high of $47.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 6th. The insurance provider reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.37 by ($0.07). CNA Financial had a return on equity of 14.33% and a net margin of 9.06%. The firm had revenue of $3.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.94 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.19 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that CNA Financial will post 5.03 EPS for the current year.

CNA Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.93%. This is an increase from CNA Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 17th. CNA Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.73%.

Insider Activity at CNA Financial

In other CNA Financial news, CAO Daniel Paul Franzetti sold 23,301 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.78, for a total transaction of $1,043,418.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 63,996 shares in the company, valued at $2,865,740.88. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CNA Financial

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in CNA. CENTRAL TRUST Co acquired a new position in CNA Financial in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Blue Trust Inc. bought a new stake in CNA Financial during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new stake in CNA Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC bought a new position in shares of CNA Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $48,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd lifted its position in shares of CNA Financial by 36.2% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,903 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $75,000 after purchasing an additional 506 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.45% of the company’s stock.

CNA Financial Company Profile

CNA Financial Corporation provides commercial property and casualty insurance products in the United States and internationally. It operates through Specialty, Commercial, International, Life & Group, and Corporate & Other segments. The company offers professional liability coverages and risk management services to various professional firms, including architects, real estate agents, and accounting and law firms; directors and officers, employment practices, fiduciary, and fidelity and cyber coverages to small and mid-size firms, public and privately held firms, and not-for-profit organizations; professional and general liability, as well as associated casualty coverages for healthcare industry; surety and fidelity bonds; and warranty and alternative risks products.