GSA Capital Partners LLP Increases Position in CNA Financial Corporation $CNA

GSA Capital Partners LLP increased its holdings in CNA Financial Corporation (NYSE:CNA) by 74.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 58,293 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 24,818 shares during the quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP’s holdings in CNA Financial were worth $2,783,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of CNA. Amundi raised its holdings in CNA Financial by 5.3% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 7,787 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $395,000 after purchasing an additional 389 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in CNA Financial by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 351,997 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $17,878,000 after purchasing an additional 2,466 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in CNA Financial by 12.9% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 5,966 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $303,000 after purchasing an additional 684 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth acquired a new position in CNA Financial in the 1st quarter worth about $281,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in CNA Financial in the 2nd quarter worth about $55,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.45% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Zacks Research lowered CNA Financial from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Weiss Ratings lowered CNA Financial from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered CNA Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Insider Transactions at CNA Financial

In related news, SVP Jeffrey John Neuenschwander sold 3,287 shares of CNA Financial stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.97, for a total value of $151,103.39. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 7,277 shares in the company, valued at approximately $334,523.69. This trade represents a 31.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

CNA Financial Trading Up 1.4%

NYSE:CNA opened at $44.36 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $12.00 billion, a PE ratio of 9.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.65 and a beta of 0.35. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $46.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $46.74. CNA Financial Corporation has a 12-month low of $42.48 and a 12-month high of $50.72. The company has a current ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last released its earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The insurance provider reported $0.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.30 by ($0.47). The company had revenue of $3.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.93 billion. CNA Financial had a net margin of 8.08% and a return on equity of 11.57%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.03 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that CNA Financial Corporation will post 4.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CNA Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th will be issued a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 18th. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.3%. CNA Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 42.95%.

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.