CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday morning.

Several other brokerages have also recently commented on CNA. Bank of America upped 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of CNA Financial from $54.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th.

CNA Financial Price Performance

CNA stock opened at $48.99 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 0.26. CNA Financial has a 52-week low of $39.35 and a 52-week high of $52.36. The company has a market capitalization of $13.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.21, a PEG ratio of 6.22 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $49.05 and a 200-day moving average price of $47.56.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last announced 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 business had revenue of $3.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.15 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.06 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that CNA Financial will post 4.65 EPS for the current year.

CNA Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be paid a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.59%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. CNA Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 36.67%.

Insider Activity at CNA Financial

In other CNA Financial news, EVP Elizabeth Ann Aguinaga sold 26,160 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 20th. The shares were 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 directly owns 47,744 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,368,102.40. This trade represents a 35.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Mark Steven James sold 18,547 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.58, for a total transaction of $938,107.26. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 22,917 shares in the company, valued at $1,159,141.86. This represents a 44.73 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 67,680 shares of company stock worth $3,355,577 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new position in shares of CNA Financial during the third quarter worth approximately $36,000. Fairscale Capital LLC bought a new stake in CNA Financial during the 2nd quarter valued at $55,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in CNA Financial by 36.9% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,566 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $72,000 after buying an additional 422 shares during the last quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 39.1% in the first quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,756 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $80,000 after buying an additional 494 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in CNA Financial by 82.0% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,971 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $90,000 after purchasing an additional 888 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.45% of the company’s stock.

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.