CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) Upgraded to Buy at Wall Street Zen

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) was upgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report released on Friday.

A number of other analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of CNA Financial in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research cut CNA Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 1st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $53.00.

CNA Financial Stock Down 0.1%

NYSE:CNA traded down $0.04 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $46.27. 309,498 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 306,578. CNA Financial has a fifty-two week low of $43.29 and a fifty-two week high of $51.34. The company has a market capitalization of $12.52 billion, a PE ratio of 12.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.47 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $46.61 and a 200 day simple moving average of $46.33.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 3rd. The insurance provider reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $3.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.84 billion. CNA Financial had a net margin of 6.71% and a return on equity of 12.78%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.08 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that CNA Financial will post 4.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other CNA Financial news, Chairman Dino Robusto sold 6,250 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.62, for a total transaction of $297,625.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman directly owned 661,838 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,516,725.56. This trade represents a 0.94% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 18,750 shares of company stock worth $873,875. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CNA Financial

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Alpine Bank Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 70.0% during the third quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management now owns 556 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd increased its stake in CNA Financial by 129.7% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 712 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 402 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP raised its position in CNA Financial by 102.3% during the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 785 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 397 shares during the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 820 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 410 shares during the period. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 240.3% in the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 878 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 620 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.45% of the company’s stock.

About CNA Financial

CNA Financial Corporation is a leading U.S.-based commercial property and casualty insurance company offering a broad portfolio of risk management and insurance solutions. The company underwrites coverage for businesses of all sizes across a variety of industry sectors, including manufacturing, healthcare, energy, technology, construction and real estate. In addition to core property and casualty insurance, CNA delivers specialized products such as surety bonds, professional liability, environmental liability and commercial auto coverage.

Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, CNA traces its origins to the founding of Continental Casualty Company in 1897.