CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) Stake Lifted by Royal London Asset Management Ltd.

Royal London Asset Management Ltd. raised its stake in CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) by 71.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 10,454 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 4,350 shares during the quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd.’s holdings in CNA Financial were worth $506,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of CNA. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its position in CNA Financial by 107.1% in the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 22,172 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,066,000 after purchasing an additional 11,468 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in CNA Financial by 43.9% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 41,051 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,009,000 after buying an additional 12,528 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its position in CNA Financial by 108.7% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 31,444 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,539,000 after acquiring an additional 16,377 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in CNA Financial by 66.0% in the 4th 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 acquiring an additional 468,058 shares during the period. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in CNA Financial during the 4th quarter valued at $255,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.45% of the company’s stock.

CNA Financial Stock Up 2.2 %

NYSE CNA opened at $49.83 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $13.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.16, a PEG ratio of 9.23 and a beta of 0.68. CNA Financial Co. has a 12 month low of $42.33 and a 12 month high of $52.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.28 and a quick ratio of 0.28. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $48.84 and its 200 day simple moving average is $48.87.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The insurance provider reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by $0.14. CNA Financial had a return on equity of 12.90% and a net margin of 6.72%. Equities research analysts expect that CNA Financial Co. will post 4.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CNA Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This is a positive change from CNA Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.69%. CNA Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 52.27%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CNA has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on shares of CNA Financial from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. StockNews.com cut CNA Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other CNA Financial news, Chairman Dino Robusto bought 3,896 shares of CNA Financial stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The stock was bought at an average price of $47.63 per share, for a total transaction of $185,566.48. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chairman now directly owns 724,338 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $34,500,218.94. This trade represents a 0.54 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Daniel Paul Franzetti sold 12,991 shares of CNA Financial stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.06, for a total value of $637,338.46. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 75,612 shares in the company, valued at $3,709,524.72. This represents a 14.66 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

CNA Financial 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.