Short Interest in CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) Increases By 31.5%

CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) saw a large increase in short interest during the month of November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 900,200 shares, an increase of 31.5% from the October 31st total of 684,800 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 313,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.9 days. Approximately 0.3% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Insider Activity

In other CNA Financial news, EVP Douglas Worman sold 22,973 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.75, for a total value of $1,119,933.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 133,777 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,521,628.75. This represents a 14.66 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Mark Steven James sold 18,547 shares of the firm’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 transaction of $938,107.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 22,917 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,159,141.86. This trade represents a 44.73 % 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

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 335.4% in the 1st quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 30,046 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,365,000 after buying an additional 23,146 shares during the last quarter. Symmetry Partners LLC grew its stake in CNA Financial by 318.3% in the 2nd quarter. Symmetry Partners LLC now owns 20,361 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $938,000 after purchasing an additional 15,493 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of CNA Financial by 97.9% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,152,528 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $51,760,000 after purchasing an additional 570,172 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning raised its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 16.5% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 16,067 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $786,000 after purchasing an additional 2,272 shares during the period. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of CNA Financial in the 2nd quarter worth about $273,000. 98.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

CNA Financial Stock Performance

Shares of CNA opened at $50.44 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.51, a P/E/G ratio of 6.46 and a beta of 0.65. CNA Financial has a 52 week low of $40.92 and a 52 week high of $52.36. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $48.93 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $47.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 0.26.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The insurance provider reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.07 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $3.62 billion during 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 forecast that CNA Financial will post 4.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CNA Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.49%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. CNA Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.67%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CNA has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on CNA Financial from $54.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of CNA Financial from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of CNA Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th.

CNA Financial Company 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.