Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Boosts CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) Price Target to $55.00

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) had its price objective increased by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $54.00 to $55.00 in a research note issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “market perform” rating on the insurance provider’s stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods’ price target points to a potential upside of 11.49% from the company’s current price.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the company. StockNews.com lowered CNA Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Bank of America upped their target price on CNA Financial from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th.

CNA Financial Stock Up 1.3 %

CNA Financial stock traded up $0.61 during trading on Friday, hitting $49.33. 26,528 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 276,221. The business’s 50 day moving average is $49.41 and its 200 day moving average is $47.36. CNA Financial has a 52 week low of $38.32 and a 52 week high of $52.36. The company has a market capitalization of $13.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.28, a PEG ratio of 3.41 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The insurance provider reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.07 by $0.01. CNA Financial had a return on equity of 13.30% and a net margin of 9.26%. The firm had revenue of $3.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.15 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.06 EPS. Analysts predict that CNA Financial will post 4.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Mark Steven James sold 18,547 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.58, for a total transaction of $938,107.26. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 22,917 shares in the company, valued at $1,159,141.86. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Mark Steven James sold 18,547 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.58, for a total transaction of $938,107.26. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 22,917 shares in the company, valued at $1,159,141.86. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Elizabeth Ann Aguinaga sold 26,160 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.60, for a total value of $1,297,536.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 47,744 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,368,102.40. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in CNA. Tidal Investments LLC raised its stake in CNA Financial by 335.4% during the first quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 30,046 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,365,000 after buying an additional 23,146 shares during the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new position in CNA Financial during the first quarter valued at $520,000. Symmetry Partners LLC raised its stake in CNA Financial by 318.3% during the second quarter. Symmetry Partners LLC now owns 20,361 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $938,000 after buying an additional 15,493 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in CNA Financial by 97.9% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,152,528 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $51,760,000 after buying an additional 570,172 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of CNA Financial in the 2nd quarter worth $273,000. Hedge funds and other 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.