Mark Steven James Sells 8,273 Shares of CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) Stock

CNA Financial Corporation (NYSE:CNA) EVP Mark Steven James sold 8,273 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.15, for a total value of $439,709.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 26,446 shares in the company, valued at $1,405,604.90. The trade was a 23.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

CNA Financial Price Performance

CNA Financial stock opened at $52.55 on Friday. CNA Financial Corporation has a 52-week low of $41.53 and a 52-week high of $55.71. The company has a market cap of $14.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.55, a PEG ratio of 7.07 and a beta of 0.28. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $48.88 and its 200 day moving average is $47.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The insurance provider reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.11. CNA Financial had a net margin of 8.16% and a return on equity of 11.34%. The company had revenue of $3.83 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.97 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.23 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that CNA Financial Corporation will post 4.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CNA Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. CNA Financial’s payout ratio is currently 42.20%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Zacks Research upgraded CNA Financial from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of CNA Financial from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, CNA Financial currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CNA Financial

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. CORDA Investment Management LLC. acquired a new position in shares of CNA Financial during the second quarter valued at approximately $36,638,000. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of CNA Financial by 34.6% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,101,092 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $96,482,000 after acquiring an additional 540,448 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC grew its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 409.1% in the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 604,963 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $28,107,000 after buying an additional 486,127 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in shares of CNA Financial by 1,509,521.9% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 483,079 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $23,062,000 after buying an additional 483,047 shares during the period. Finally, M&T Bank Corp lifted its holdings in CNA Financial by 8,100.7% in the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 484,580 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $23,134,000 after acquiring an additional 478,671 shares during the last quarter. 98.45% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.