CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) Rating Increased to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Friday morning.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on CNA. Zacks Research downgraded CNA Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 1st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of CNA Financial in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, CNA Financial presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $53.00.

CNA Financial Stock Performance

NYSE CNA opened at $46.27 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $46.61 and a 200-day moving average of $46.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.28. The stock has a market cap of $12.52 billion, a PE ratio of 12.68, a P/E/G ratio of 4.47 and a beta of 0.37. CNA Financial has a 52-week low of $43.29 and a 52-week high of $51.34.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The insurance provider reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $3.82 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.84 billion. CNA Financial had a return on equity of 12.78% and a net margin of 6.71%.During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.08 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that CNA Financial will post 4.64 EPS for the current year.

CNA Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 17th were given a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 17th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.0%. CNA Financial’s payout ratio is presently 50.41%.

Insider Transactions at CNA Financial

In related news, Chairman Dino Robusto sold 6,250 shares of CNA Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.62, for a total value of $297,625.00. Following the transaction, the chairman directly owned 661,838 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,516,725.56. This trade represents a 0.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders have sold 18,750 shares of company stock valued at $873,875 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CNA Financial

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Millennium Management LLC grew its position in CNA Financial by 409.1% in the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 604,963 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $28,107,000 after acquiring an additional 486,127 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers grew its holdings in CNA Financial by 578.1% during the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 495,860 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $23,072,000 after acquiring an additional 422,737 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in CNA Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $17,266,000. Two Sigma Investments LP raised its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 429.2% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 425,779 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $19,782,000 after acquiring an additional 345,322 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Torray Investment Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 335.0% during the second quarter. Torray Investment Partners LLC now owns 422,918 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $19,678,000 after acquiring an additional 325,695 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.45% of the company’s stock.

About CNA Financial

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.