CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) Share Price Passes Above 200 Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

CNA Financial Corporation (NYSE:CNA)’s stock price passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $46.20 and traded as high as $48.12. CNA Financial shares last traded at $48.0750, with a volume of 320,286 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CNA has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of CNA Financial in a report on Monday. Zacks Research raised shares of CNA Financial from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of CNA Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, December 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $53.00.

CNA Financial Stock Down 0.3%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.28. The company has a market capitalization of $12.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.40. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $46.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $46.22.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 3rd. The insurance provider reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.25. CNA Financial had a net margin of 6.71% and a return on equity of 12.78%. The business had revenue of $3.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.84 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.08 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that CNA Financial Corporation will post 4.64 earnings per share for the current year.

CNA Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 17th were given a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 17th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.9%. CNA Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 50.41%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Chairman Dino Robusto sold 6,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.92, for a total transaction of $293,250.00. Following the sale, the chairman directly owned 668,088 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,346,688.96. The trade was a 0.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CNA Financial

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