CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) CAO Daniel Paul Franzetti Sells 23,301 Shares of Stock

CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) CAO Daniel Paul Franzetti sold 23,301 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.78, for a total value of $1,043,418.78. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 63,996 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,865,740.88. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

CNA Financial Stock Performance

CNA Financial stock opened at $44.79 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $12.13 billion, a PE ratio of 10.11, 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 Co. has a 12-month low of $36.41 and a 12-month high of $47.37. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $44.06 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $43.00.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 6th. The insurance provider reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by ($0.07). CNA Financial had a return on equity of 14.33% and a net margin of 9.06%. The company had revenue of $3.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.94 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.19 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that CNA Financial Co. will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CNA Financial Increases Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CNA Financial

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CNA. Advisor Partners II LLC grew its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 18.3% during the third quarter. Advisor Partners II LLC now owns 17,627 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $694,000 after purchasing an additional 2,725 shares during the last quarter. Private Management Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 8.3% during the third quarter. Private Management Group Inc. now owns 875,207 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $34,439,000 after purchasing an additional 66,795 shares during the period. Panagora Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 11.4% in the third quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 22,815 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $898,000 after purchasing an additional 2,330 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in CNA Financial by 305.8% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 31,969 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,258,000 after purchasing an additional 24,091 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new position in CNA Financial during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,485,000. Institutional investors own 98.45% of the company’s stock.

About CNA Financial

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.