CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) Lowered to Hold Rating by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Sunday.

CNA has been the subject of several other reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded CNA Financial from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Zacks Research lowered shares of CNA Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

CNA Financial Stock Performance

NYSE:CNA opened at $48.67 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.28 and a quick ratio of 0.28. The firm has a market cap of $13.17 billion, a PE ratio of 10.38, a P/E/G ratio of 8.99 and a beta of 0.37. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $47.32 and a 200-day simple moving average of $46.82. CNA Financial has a 1-year low of $43.29 and a 1-year high of $51.34.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The insurance provider reported $1.16 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.20 by ($0.04). CNA Financial had a return on equity of 12.23% and a net margin of 8.53%.The firm had revenue of $3.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.88 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.25 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that CNA Financial will post 4.64 EPS for the current year.

CNA Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced an annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 23rd will be issued a dividend of $2.00 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 23rd. This represents a dividend yield of 407.0%. CNA Financial’s payout ratio is presently 39.23%.

Insider Transactions at CNA Financial

In other CNA Financial news, Chairman Dino Robusto sold 6,250 shares of CNA Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.62, for a total transaction of $297,625.00. Following the transaction, the chairman directly owned 661,838 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,516,725.56. The trade was a 0.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CNA Financial

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Kestra Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in CNA Financial during the 4th quarter worth $198,000. Bridgewater Associates LP lifted its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 33.2% during the fourth quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 277,608 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $13,253,000 after purchasing an additional 69,190 shares in the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp boosted its position in shares of CNA Financial by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 10,871 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $519,000 after buying an additional 367 shares during the period. Bank of Nova Scotia grew its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 8,586 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $410,000 after buying an additional 323 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 31.8% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,560,644 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $74,505,000 after buying an additional 376,752 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.45% of the company’s stock.

CNA Financial Company Profile

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.