Cerity Partners LLC Boosts Holdings in CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA)

Cerity Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) by 70.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 18,231 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,566 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in CNA Financial were worth $883,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 670 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in 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 period. Quent Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 28.3% in the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 1,475 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $71,000 after purchasing an additional 325 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of CNA Financial during the 4th quarter valued at $74,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 16.7% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,051 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $99,000 after buying an additional 293 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.45% of the company’s stock.

CNA Financial Stock Performance

NYSE CNA opened at $47.92 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $48.68 and a 200-day moving average price of $48.71. The firm has a market cap of $12.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 9.23 and a beta of 0.47. CNA Financial Co. has a twelve month low of $42.33 and a twelve month high of $52.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 predict that CNA Financial Co. will post 4.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CNA Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.84%. 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 payout ratio is 52.27%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on CNA shares. StockNews.com downgraded CNA Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on 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.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Chairman Dino Robusto sold 6,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.06, for a total value of $319,125.00. Following the sale, the chairman now directly owns 718,088 shares in the company, valued at $36,665,573.28. The trade was a 0.86 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Daniel Paul Franzetti sold 12,991 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.06, for a total transaction of $637,338.46. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 75,612 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,709,524.72. This represents a 14.66 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 25,491 shares of company stock worth $1,261,838. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

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.