CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of CNA Financial (NYSE:CNAFree Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report published on Saturday morning.

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Zacks Research downgraded CNA Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 1st. Weiss Ratings raised CNA Financial from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $53.00.

Check Out Our Latest Report on CNA Financial

CNA Financial Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of CNA stock opened at $49.08 on Friday. CNA Financial has a fifty-two week low of $43.29 and a fifty-two week high of $51.34. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $47.05 and a 200 day moving average price of $46.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.81 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.28.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNAGet Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The insurance provider reported $1.16 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.20 by ($0.04). CNA Financial had a net margin of 6.71% and a return on equity of 12.78%. The business had revenue of $3.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.88 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.25 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that CNA Financial will post 4.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CNA Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed an annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 23rd will be issued a dividend of $2.00 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 23rd. This represents a yield of 407.0%. CNA Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.41%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Chairman Dino Robusto sold 6,250 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.62, for a total value of $297,625.00. Following the transaction, the chairman directly owned 661,838 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,516,725.56. This trade represents a 0.94% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CNA Financial

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of CNA Financial by 3.4% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,435,892 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $112,806,000 after purchasing an additional 80,700 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in CNA Financial by 26.0% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,499,771 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $69,784,000 after purchasing an additional 309,534 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in CNA Financial by 15.2% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,183,892 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $55,004,000 after purchasing an additional 156,077 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG raised its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 25.9% in the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 867,787 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $41,428,000 after buying an additional 178,314 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CORDA Investment Management LLC. boosted its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. CORDA Investment Management LLC. now owns 720,165 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $34,381,000 after buying an additional 18,281 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.45% of the company’s stock.

CNA Financial News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting CNA Financial this week:

About CNA Financial

(Get Free Report)

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.

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