CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) Downgraded by StockNews.com to “Hold”

StockNews.com cut shares of CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Tuesday morning.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Bank of America raised their price objective on CNA Financial from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on CNA Financial from $48.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st.

CNA Financial Trading Up 1.4 %

CNA Financial stock opened at $47.48 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $12.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.08, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 0.65. CNA Financial has a fifty-two week low of $38.32 and a fifty-two week high of $52.36. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $49.60 and its 200-day moving average price is $47.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.27.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The insurance provider reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.07 by $0.01. CNA Financial had a return on equity of 14.02% and a net margin of 9.27%. The business had revenue of $3.62 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.15 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.06 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that CNA Financial will post 4.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CNA Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th will be paid a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.71%. CNA Financial’s payout ratio is presently 37.37%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Mark Steven James sold 18,547 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.58, for a total value of $938,107.26. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 22,917 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,159,141.86. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other CNA Financial news, EVP Elizabeth Ann Aguinaga sold 26,160 shares of CNA Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.60, for a total transaction of $1,297,536.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 47,744 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,368,102.40. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Mark Steven James sold 18,547 shares of CNA Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.58, for a total value of $938,107.26. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 22,917 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,159,141.86. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.31% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of CNA Financial

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of CNA. Fairscale Capital LLC bought a new stake in CNA Financial during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $55,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 36.9% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,566 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $72,000 after purchasing an additional 422 shares during the last quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 39.1% during the first quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,756 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $80,000 after purchasing an additional 494 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 82.0% during the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,971 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $90,000 after purchasing an additional 888 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. purchased a new position in shares of CNA Financial during the second quarter valued at approximately $92,000. 98.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.