CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) Announces Earnings Results

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday. The insurance provider reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.37 by ($0.07), Briefing.com reports. CNA Financial had a return on equity of 14.33% and a net margin of 9.06%. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.19 earnings per share.

CNA Financial Stock Performance

CNA Financial stock opened at $44.78 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $44.05 and a 200 day simple moving average of $42.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. CNA Financial has a 12-month low of $36.41 and a 12-month high of $47.37.

CNA Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 17th. This is a boost from CNA Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. CNA Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.73%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on CNA. StockNews.com raised CNA Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of CNA Financial from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Bank of America lowered shares of CNA Financial from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $39.00 to $43.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th.

CNA Financial Company Profile

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.