Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) Stock

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) had its price objective increased by analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $54.00 to $55.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “market perform” rating on the insurance provider’s stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods’ price target points to a potential upside of 11.52% from the company’s current price.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on the company. Bank of America increased their target price on CNA Financial from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. StockNews.com lowered CNA Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th.

CNA Financial Trading Up 1.2 %

CNA opened at $49.32 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $49.36 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $47.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.28, a PEG ratio of 6.33 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.26 and a quick ratio of 0.27. CNA Financial has a one year low of $38.32 and a one year high of $52.36.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The insurance provider reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.07 by $0.01. The business 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 EPS. Analysts predict that CNA Financial will post 4.65 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Mark Steven James sold 18,547 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 22,917 shares in the company, valued at $1,159,141.86. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Mark Steven James sold 18,547 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 22,917 shares in the company, valued at $1,159,141.86. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Elizabeth Ann Aguinaga sold 26,160 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 20th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $2,368,102.40. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of CNA Financial

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CNA. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CNA Financial in the 1st quarter worth approximately $231,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its stake in CNA Financial by 9.5% during the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 58,958 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,678,000 after purchasing an additional 5,130 shares during the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new stake in CNA Financial during the 1st quarter valued at $520,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in CNA Financial by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 706,279 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $32,079,000 after purchasing an additional 7,201 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Edgestream Partners L.P. boosted its stake in CNA Financial by 229.0% during the 1st quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 113,901 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $5,173,000 after purchasing an additional 79,280 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.45% 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.