CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) Downgraded by StockNews.com

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) was downgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on CNA. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of CNA Financial from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Bank of America downgraded CNA Financial from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $39.00 to $43.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th.

CNA Financial Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE CNA opened at $44.81 on Wednesday. CNA Financial has a 1-year low of $36.41 and a 1-year high of $47.37. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $44.07 and a 200 day moving average price of $43.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.26 and a quick ratio of 0.26.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 6th. The insurance provider reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.37 by ($0.07). CNA Financial had a net margin of 9.06% and a return on equity of 14.33%. The firm had revenue of $3.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.94 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.19 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that CNA Financial will post 5.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Daniel Paul Franzetti sold 23,301 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.78, for a total value of $1,043,418.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 63,996 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,865,740.88. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of CNA Financial

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CNA. Loews Corp boosted its holdings in CNA Financial by 1.8% in the third quarter. Loews Corp now owns 248,414,738 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $9,775,120,000 after purchasing an additional 4,456,050 shares during the last quarter. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. boosted its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 20.3% in the fourth quarter. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. now owns 1,178,228 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $49,851,000 after buying an additional 199,209 shares during the last quarter. Private Management Group Inc. grew its holdings in CNA Financial by 8.3% during the third quarter. Private Management Group Inc. now owns 875,207 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $34,439,000 after acquiring an additional 66,795 shares during the period. CORDA Investment Management LLC. raised its position in CNA Financial by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. CORDA Investment Management LLC. now owns 631,186 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $26,705,000 after acquiring an additional 2,775 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in CNA Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $14,296,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.