CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) saw a large increase in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 917,400 shares, an increase of 12.8% from the December 31st total of 813,400 shares. Currently, 0.3% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 260,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.5 days.

CNA Financial Stock Performance

CNA traded down $0.17 during trading on Monday, hitting $48.89. 207,791 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 219,138. CNA Financial has a one year low of $42.33 and a one year high of $52.36. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $48.66 and its 200 day moving average is $49.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The firm has a market cap of $13.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.19 and a beta of 0.66.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The insurance provider reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.07 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $3.62 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.15 billion. CNA Financial had a net margin of 9.26% and a return on equity of 13.30%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.06 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that CNA Financial will post 4.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Douglas Worman sold 22,973 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.75, for a total value of $1,119,933.75. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 133,777 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,521,628.75. This represents a 14.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.31% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of CNA Financial

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CNA. Savant Capital LLC raised its holdings in CNA Financial by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 9,139 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $442,000 after acquiring an additional 230 shares during the period. Raymond James Trust N.A. grew its position in shares of CNA Financial by 4.1% in the third quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 6,526 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $319,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 16.7% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,051 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $99,000 after purchasing an additional 293 shares during the period. Quent Capital LLC lifted its holdings in CNA Financial by 28.3% during the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 1,475 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $71,000 after purchasing an additional 325 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pallas Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in CNA Financial by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 7,767 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $376,000 after purchasing an additional 327 shares in the last quarter. 98.45% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CNA has been the topic of several analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of CNA Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on CNA Financial from $55.00 to $54.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price target on CNA Financial from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th.

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.