CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) Declares $0.44 Quarterly Dividend

CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) declared a quarterly dividend on Monday, November 4th,RTT News reports. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be given a dividend of 0.44 per share by the insurance provider on Thursday, December 5th. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.59%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th.

CNA Financial has raised its dividend payment by an average of 4.3% per year over the last three years. CNA Financial has a dividend payout ratio of 33.4% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect CNA Financial to earn $4.88 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.76 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 36.1%.

CNA Financial Stock Up 1.3 %

CNA stock opened at $48.99 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.21, a P/E/G ratio of 6.31 and a beta of 0.65. CNA Financial has a 52 week low of $39.35 and a 52 week high of $52.36. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $49.05 and a 200-day simple moving average of $47.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The insurance provider reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.07 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $3.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.15 billion. CNA Financial had a return on equity of 13.30% and a net margin of 9.26%. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.06 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that CNA Financial will post 4.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Elizabeth Ann Aguinaga sold 26,160 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 20th. The shares were 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 $2,368,102.40. This represents a 35.40 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 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 transaction 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 44.73 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 67,680 shares of company stock worth $3,355,577. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on CNA shares. StockNews.com upgraded CNA Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of CNA Financial from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of CNA Financial from $54.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th.

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.