CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) Short Interest Down 13.6% in February

CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest in February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 968,200 shares, a decrease of 13.6% from the February 13th total of 1,120,000 shares. Currently, 0.4% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 316,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.1 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on CNA. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on shares of CNA Financial from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. StockNews.com cut shares of CNA Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other CNA Financial news, CAO Daniel Paul Franzetti sold 12,991 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.06, for a total value of $637,338.46. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 75,612 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,709,524.72. The trade was a 14.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Chairman Dino Robusto sold 6,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.86, for a total value of $305,375.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 720,442 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $35,200,796.12. The trade was a 0.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CNA Financial

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new position in CNA Financial in the third quarter valued at about $36,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 663.4% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 771 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 670 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 29.2% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,265 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $61,000 after buying an additional 286 shares during the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 28.3% in the fourth quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 1,475 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 325 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in CNA Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $74,000. 98.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

CNA Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:CNA traded up $0.13 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $49.20. 70,749 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 283,792. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.28. CNA Financial has a one year low of $42.33 and a one year high of $52.36. The company has a market cap of $13.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.97, a P/E/G ratio of 9.23 and a beta of 0.68. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $48.63 and a 200 day moving average of $48.94.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The insurance provider reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.14. CNA Financial had a net margin of 6.72% and a return on equity of 12.90%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that CNA Financial will post 4.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CNA Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.74%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This is an increase from CNA Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. CNA Financial’s payout ratio is 52.27%.

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.