Donald Smith & CO. Inc. Has $25.05 Million Position in CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA)

Donald Smith & CO. Inc. cut its holdings in CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) by 0.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 517,778 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 1,125 shares during the period. Donald Smith & CO. Inc.’s holdings in CNA Financial were worth $25,045,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in CNA. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 66.0% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,177,110 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $56,937,000 after buying an additional 468,058 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in CNA Financial during the fourth quarter worth $14,859,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in CNA Financial during the 4th quarter valued at $13,129,000. Jane Street Group LLC boosted its holdings in CNA Financial by 158.0% in the 3rd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 288,443 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $14,116,000 after purchasing an additional 176,649 shares during the period. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its position in CNA Financial by 36.5% in the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 363,389 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $17,577,000 after purchasing an additional 97,180 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.45% of the company’s stock.

CNA Financial Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of CNA stock opened at $50.77 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $49.13 and a 200-day moving average of $48.88. The stock has a market cap of $13.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.42, a P/E/G ratio of 9.23 and a beta of 0.68. CNA Financial Co. has a 52-week low of $42.33 and a 52-week high of $52.36. 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 (NYSE:CNA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The insurance provider reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that CNA Financial Co. will post 4.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CNA Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 3.62%. This is a boost from CNA Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. CNA Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 52.27%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on CNA. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on shares of CNA Financial from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. StockNews.com downgraded CNA Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Daniel Paul Franzetti sold 12,991 shares of CNA Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.06, for a total value of $637,338.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 75,612 shares in the company, 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 is accessible through this link. Also, Chairman Dino Robusto sold 6,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.86, for a total value of $305,375.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 720,442 shares in the company, 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. Insiders sold 25,491 shares of company stock worth $1,261,838 over the last three months. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

CNA Financial 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.