CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) Short Interest Update

CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest during the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 917,400 shares, a growth of 12.8% from the December 31st total of 813,400 shares. Currently, 0.3% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 260,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.5 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Insider Transactions at CNA Financial

In related news, EVP Douglas Worman sold 22,973 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.75, for a total transaction 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. This trade represents a 14.66 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CNA Financial

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Ieq Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 276.3% during the fourth quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 82,893 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $4,010,000 after acquiring an additional 60,867 shares in the last quarter. Convergence Investment Partners LLC increased its position in CNA Financial by 15.7% during the 4th quarter. Convergence Investment Partners LLC now owns 18,478 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $894,000 after purchasing an additional 2,505 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its holdings in CNA Financial by 34.2% in the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 11,858 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $569,000 after purchasing an additional 3,024 shares in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of CNA Financial by 28.3% in the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 1,475 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $71,000 after purchasing an additional 325 shares during the period. Finally, Savant Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 9,139 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $442,000 after purchasing an additional 230 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.45% of the company’s stock.

CNA Financial Trading Down 0.4 %

CNA traded down $0.17 during trading on Monday, hitting $48.89. 207,791 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 219,138. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $48.66 and a 200 day moving average of $49.03. CNA Financial has a 12-month low of $42.33 and a 12-month high of $52.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.19 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.26 and a quick ratio of 0.26.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The insurance provider reported $1.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.07 by $0.01. CNA Financial had a return on equity of 13.30% and a net margin of 9.26%. The company had revenue of $3.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.15 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.06 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that CNA Financial will post 4.68 EPS for the current year.

CNA Financial Company Profile

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.