Vest Financial LLC Takes $1.58 Million Position in CNA Financial Corporation $CNA

Vest Financial LLC bought a new stake in CNA Financial Corporation (NYSE:CNA) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 33,019 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,576,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of CNA. Alpine Bank Wealth Management increased its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 70.0% in the third quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management now owns 556 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd increased its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 129.7% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 712 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 402 shares during the period. Ameriflex Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 410 shares during the period. Rothschild Investment LLC acquired a new position in shares of CNA Financial in the third quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Finally, State of Wyoming acquired a new position in shares of CNA Financial in the second quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.45% of the company’s stock.

CNA Financial Stock Up 1.0%

CNA Financial stock opened at $48.27 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.28 and a quick ratio of 0.28. CNA Financial Corporation has a 1-year low of $43.29 and a 1-year high of $50.72. The company has a market cap of $13.03 billion, a PE ratio of 10.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.89 and a beta of 0.35. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $47.23 and its 200 day moving average price is $46.87.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The insurance provider reported $1.16 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $3.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.88 billion. CNA Financial had a return on equity of 12.23% and a net margin of 8.53%.During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.25 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that CNA Financial Corporation will post 4.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CNA Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced an annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 23rd were given a dividend of $2.00 per share. This represents a yield of 409.0%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 23rd. CNA Financial’s payout ratio is presently 40.94%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on CNA shares. Zacks Research downgraded CNA Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 1st. Wall Street Zen downgraded CNA Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded CNA Financial from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, CNA Financial presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other CNA Financial news, SVP Jeffrey John Neuenschwander sold 3,287 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.97, for a total transaction of $151,103.39. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 7,277 shares in the company, valued at approximately $334,523.69. The trade was a 31.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.29% 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.