CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) Stock Price Crosses Above 200 Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Shares of CNA Financial Corporation (NYSE:CNA) crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $46.69 and traded as high as $46.88. CNA Financial shares last traded at $46.5080, with a volume of 374,746 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of CNA Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 15th. Zacks Research lowered shares of CNA Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of CNA Financial from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

CNA Financial Trading Up 0.3%

The company’s fifty day moving average price is $47.56 and its 200-day moving average price is $46.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.28 and a quick ratio of 0.28. The stock has a market cap of $12.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.92, a P/E/G ratio of 6.70 and a beta of 0.35.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The insurance provider reported $1.16 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.20 by ($0.04). CNA Financial had a return on equity of 12.23% and a net margin of 8.53%.The business had revenue of $3.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.88 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.25 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that CNA Financial Corporation will post 4.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CNA Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed an annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 23rd were paid a dividend of $2.00 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 23rd. This represents a dividend yield of 409.0%. CNA Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.94%.

Insider Activity at CNA Financial

In other news, SVP Jeffrey John Neuenschwander sold 3,287 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.97, for a total transaction of $151,103.39. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 7,277 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $334,523.69. This trade represents a 31.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CNA Financial

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Millennium Management LLC lifted its position in shares of CNA Financial by 409.1% during the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 604,963 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $28,107,000 after buying an additional 486,127 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings in CNA Financial by 1,509,521.9% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 483,079 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $23,062,000 after purchasing an additional 483,047 shares in the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp lifted its holdings in CNA Financial by 8,100.7% in the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 484,580 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $23,134,000 after purchasing an additional 478,671 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 31.8% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,560,644 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $74,505,000 after acquiring an additional 376,752 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of CNA Financial during the 2nd quarter worth $17,266,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.45% of the company’s stock.

CNA Financial Company Profile

CNA Financial Corporation is a leading U.S.-based commercial property and casualty insurance company offering a broad portfolio of risk management and insurance solutions. The company underwrites coverage for businesses of all sizes across a variety of industry sectors, including manufacturing, healthcare, energy, technology, construction and real estate. In addition to core property and casualty insurance, CNA delivers specialized products such as surety bonds, professional liability, environmental liability and commercial auto coverage.

Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, CNA traces its origins to the founding of Continental Casualty Company in 1897.