Short Interest in CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) Drops By 13.6%

CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest in the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 968,200 shares, a decrease of 13.6% from the February 13th total of 1,120,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 316,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.1 days. Currently, 0.4% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Insider Activity

In other CNA Financial news, Chairman Dino Robusto bought 3,896 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $47.63 per share, with a total value of $185,566.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 724,338 shares in the company, valued at approximately $34,500,218.94. The trade was a 0.54 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Daniel Paul Franzetti sold 12,991 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.06, for a total transaction of $637,338.46. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 75,612 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,709,524.72. The trade was a 14.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new position in shares of CNA Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 663.4% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 771 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 670 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 29.2% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,265 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $61,000 after buying an additional 286 shares in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 28.3% during the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 1,475 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $71,000 after buying an additional 325 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of CNA Financial during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $74,000. 98.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

CNA Financial Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of CNA stock opened at $49.22 on Thursday. CNA Financial has a 52-week low of $42.33 and a 52-week high of $52.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.28. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $48.67 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $48.94. The company has a market capitalization of $13.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.98, a PEG ratio of 9.23 and a beta of 0.68.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The insurance provider reported $1.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by $0.14. CNA Financial had a net margin of 6.72% and a return on equity of 12.90%. Research analysts anticipate that CNA Financial will post 4.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CNA Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a dividend of $0.46 per share. This is an increase from CNA Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. CNA Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 52.27%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on CNA. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on shares of CNA Financial from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of CNA Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th.

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.