Ethic Inc. Boosts Stock Position in CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA)

Ethic Inc. boosted its position in CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) by 28.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 17,593 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,853 shares during the quarter. Ethic Inc.’s holdings in CNA Financial were worth $851,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in shares of CNA Financial by 66.0% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,177,110 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $56,937,000 after buying an additional 468,058 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new stake in CNA Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $255,000. Torray Investment Partners LLC raised its holdings in CNA Financial by 27.4% in the 4th quarter. Torray Investment Partners LLC now owns 91,920 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $4,446,000 after acquiring an additional 19,758 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in CNA Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $819,000. Finally, Prudential Financial Inc. lifted its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 250.8% during the 4th quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 45,137 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,211,000 after purchasing an additional 32,270 shares during the period. 98.45% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CNA Financial Stock Performance

Shares of CNA stock opened at $47.94 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 9.23 and a beta of 0.53. CNA Financial Co. has a one year low of $42.85 and a one year high of $52.36. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $48.42 and a 200 day moving average price of $48.60.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 5th. The insurance provider reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.16 by ($0.13). CNA Financial had a return on equity of 12.90% and a net margin of 6.72%. The firm had revenue of $3.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.68 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.30 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that CNA Financial Co. will post 4.64 EPS for the current year.

CNA Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be issued a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.84%. CNA Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 56.10%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Daniel Paul Franzetti sold 12,991 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.06, for a total value of $637,338.46. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 75,612 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,709,524.72. This represents a 14.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Dino Robusto sold 6,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.86, for a total value of $305,375.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 720,442 shares in the company, valued at approximately $35,200,796.12. This represents a 0.86% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 31,741 shares of company stock valued at $1,559,401 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on CNA shares. StockNews.com downgraded CNA Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on CNA Financial from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th.

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.