CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) Upgraded at StockNews.com

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

CNA has been the subject of a number of other reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of CNA Financial from $54.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Bank of America boosted their target price on CNA Financial from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th.

CNA Financial Price Performance

CNA Financial stock opened at $48.99 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $13.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.21, a P/E/G ratio of 6.22 and a beta of 0.65. 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 company’s 50 day moving average price is $49.05 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $47.56. CNA Financial has a 52 week low of $39.35 and a 52 week high of $52.36.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The insurance provider reported $1.08 earnings per share (EPS) 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 return on equity of 13.30% and a net margin of 9.26%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.06 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that CNA Financial will post 4.65 earnings per share for the current year.

CNA Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th will be paid a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.59%. CNA Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 36.67%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Elizabeth Ann Aguinaga sold 26,160 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.60, for a total value of $1,297,536.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 47,744 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,368,102.40. This trade represents a 35.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Douglas Worman sold 22,973 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 133,777 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,521,628.75. The trade was a 14.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 67,680 shares of company stock worth $3,355,577 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of CNA Financial

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its position in CNA Financial by 335.4% during the first quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 30,046 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,365,000 after purchasing an additional 23,146 shares during the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP bought a new position in CNA Financial in the first quarter valued at $520,000. Symmetry Partners LLC raised its position in CNA Financial by 318.3% during the second quarter. Symmetry Partners LLC now owns 20,361 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $938,000 after purchasing an additional 15,493 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in CNA Financial by 97.9% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,152,528 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $51,760,000 after purchasing an additional 570,172 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Creative Planning boosted its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 16.5% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 16,067 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $786,000 after purchasing an additional 2,272 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.45% of the company’s stock.

About CNA Financial

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.