Vise Technologies Inc. Acquires New Holdings in CNA Financial Corporation $CNA

Vise Technologies Inc. acquired a new position in shares of CNA Financial Corporation (NYSE:CNA) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 15,821 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $769,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Private Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in CNA Financial in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $7,857,000. Vest Financial LLC bought a new position in CNA Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $1,576,000. UBS Group AG boosted its position in CNA Financial by 25.9% in the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 867,787 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $41,428,000 after buying an additional 178,314 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 162.3% in the 1st quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 54,300 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,493,000 after buying an additional 33,600 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 34.6% in 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 buying an additional 540,448 shares during the period. 98.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

CNA Financial Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:CNA opened at $49.08 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $13.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.79, a PEG ratio of 6.54 and a beta of 0.28. CNA Financial Corporation has a 12 month low of $41.53 and a 12 month high of $55.71. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $50.48 and its 200 day simple moving average is $47.79. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last announced its earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The insurance provider reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $3.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.97 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.23 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that CNA Financial Corporation will post 4.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CNA Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, August 17th will be given a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. CNA Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.20%.

Insider Transactions at CNA Financial

In related news, CAO Daniel Paul Franzetti sold 22,656 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.09, for a total value of $1,202,807.04. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 68,032 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,611,818.88. This trade represents a 24.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Mark Steven James sold 8,273 shares of CNA Financial stock in a transaction on 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 approximately $1,405,604.90. The trade was a 23.83% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.