New York State Common Retirement Fund Decreases Stake in CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA)

New York State Common Retirement Fund lessened its holdings in shares of CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) by 80.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 267,096 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 1,134,443 shares during the quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund owned approximately 0.10% of CNA Financial worth $12,919,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of CNA. Savant Capital LLC boosted its position in CNA Financial by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 9,139 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $442,000 after acquiring an additional 230 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. lifted its stake in CNA Financial by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 6,526 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $319,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 16.7% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,051 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $99,000 after purchasing an additional 293 shares during the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC grew its position in shares of CNA Financial by 28.3% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Pallas Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 7,767 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $376,000 after purchasing an additional 327 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.45% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on CNA. StockNews.com lowered CNA Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on CNA Financial from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 12th.

CNA Financial Stock Performance

CNA Financial stock opened at $49.26 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $13.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 9.23 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.28 and a quick ratio of 0.28. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $48.51 and a 200-day simple moving average of $49.11. CNA Financial Co. has a 1-year low of $42.33 and a 1-year high of $52.36.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The insurance provider reported $1.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.14. CNA Financial had a return on equity of 12.90% and a net margin of 6.72%. On average, analysts expect that CNA Financial Co. will post 4.64 EPS for the current year.

CNA Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th will be issued a $0.46 dividend. This is a positive change from CNA Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 24th. CNA Financial’s payout ratio is 50.00%.

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.