CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) Price Target Raised to $55.00 at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) had its target price lifted by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $54.00 to $55.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a market perform rating on the insurance provider’s stock.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on the company. Bank of America lifted their price target on CNA Financial from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. StockNews.com cut CNA Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday.

CNA Financial Price Performance

Shares of CNA stock traded up $0.60 during trading on Friday, hitting $49.32. The company had a trading volume of 213,749 shares, compared to its average volume of 277,084. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $49.36 and its 200 day moving average price is $47.39. CNA Financial has a one year low of $38.32 and a one year high of $52.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.41 and a beta of 0.65.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last released 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. The company had revenue of $3.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.15 billion. CNA Financial had a return on equity of 13.30% and a net margin of 9.26%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.06 EPS. Equities analysts expect that CNA Financial will post 4.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CNA Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th will be given a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.57%. CNA Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.67%.

Insider Buying and Selling at CNA Financial

In other CNA Financial news, EVP Mark Steven James sold 18,547 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.58, for a total value of $938,107.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 22,917 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,159,141.86. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, EVP Elizabeth Ann Aguinaga sold 26,160 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.60, for a total value of $1,297,536.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 47,744 shares in the company, valued at $2,368,102.40. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Mark Steven James sold 18,547 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,159,141.86. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CNA Financial

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. New York State Common Retirement Fund grew its holdings in CNA Financial by 366.7% during the 3rd quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 1,401,539 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $68,591,000 after acquiring an additional 1,101,217 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in CNA Financial by 97.9% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,152,528 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $51,760,000 after purchasing an additional 570,172 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its stake in CNA Financial by 570.6% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 529,862 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $24,411,000 after buying an additional 450,843 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 45.5% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,068,956 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $49,247,000 after buying an additional 334,463 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 786.5% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 153,669 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $7,080,000 after buying an additional 136,334 shares in the last quarter. 98.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.