Virtu Financial LLC Buys Shares of 14,092 CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA)

Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 14,092 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $690,000.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of CNA. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in CNA Financial in the second quarter worth about $273,000. Blue Trust Inc. bought a new stake in CNA Financial during the second quarter valued at approximately $94,000. Raymond James Trust N.A. increased its holdings in CNA Financial by 11.5% during the second quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 6,266 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $289,000 after buying an additional 648 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in CNA Financial by 45.5% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,068,956 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $49,247,000 after acquiring an additional 334,463 shares during the period. Finally, SlateStone Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 19.5% during the 2nd quarter. SlateStone Wealth LLC now owns 20,265 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $934,000 after acquiring an additional 3,301 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.45% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on CNA Financial from $54.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Bank of America raised their price objective on CNA Financial from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded CNA Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th.

CNA Financial Stock Up 1.1 %

CNA opened at $48.85 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $13.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.20 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 0.26. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $49.04 and its 200 day moving average is $48.26. CNA Financial Co. has a fifty-two week low of $40.92 and a fifty-two week high of $52.36.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The insurance provider reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.07 by $0.01. The firm 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 quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.06 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that CNA Financial Co. will post 4.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CNA Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were given a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. CNA Financial’s payout ratio is currently 36.67%.

Insider Transactions at CNA Financial

In related news, EVP Mark Steven James sold 18,547 shares of the business’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 in the company, valued at approximately $1,159,141.86. The trade was a 44.73 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Douglas Worman sold 22,973 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.75, for a total value of $1,119,933.75. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 133,777 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,521,628.75. The trade was a 14.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.30% 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.