Squarepoint Ops LLC Grows Stake in CNA Financial Corporation $CNA

Squarepoint Ops LLC lifted its stake in CNA Financial Corporation (NYSE:CNA) by 24.8% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 280,337 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 55,692 shares during the quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC’s holdings in CNA Financial were worth $13,627,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of CNA. Baird Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in CNA Financial by 2.6% during the second quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 132,273 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $6,430,000 after buying an additional 3,322 shares during the period. Paragon Capital Management Ltd bought a new position in CNA Financial during the second quarter valued at $211,000. California State Teachers Retirement System raised its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 1,083.8% in the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 13,708 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $666,000 after acquiring an additional 12,550 shares during the period. HB Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 81.3% in the second quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 39,507 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,920,000 after acquiring an additional 17,717 shares during the period. Finally, Compass Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of CNA Financial during the 2nd quarter worth about $36,000. Institutional investors own 98.45% of the company’s stock.

CNA Financial Stock Down 1.0%

NYSE:CNA opened at $47.30 on Thursday. CNA Financial Corporation has a 1-year low of $41.53 and a 1-year high of $55.71. The company has a 50-day moving average of $51.00 and a 200 day moving average of $47.75. The firm has a market cap of $12.80 billion, a PE ratio of 10.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.37 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.27 and a quick ratio of 0.27.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The insurance provider reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $3.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.97 billion. CNA Financial had a net margin of 8.16% and a return on equity of 11.34%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.23 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that CNA Financial Corporation will post 4.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CNA Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th were given a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 17th. CNA Financial’s payout ratio is presently 42.20%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Insider Buying and Selling at CNA Financial

In related news, EVP Mark James sold 8,273 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.15, for a total transaction of $439,709.95. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 26,446 shares in the company, valued at $1,405,604.90. This represents a 23.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Daniel Franzetti sold 22,656 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.09, for a total transaction of $1,202,807.04. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 68,032 shares in the company, valued at $3,611,818.88. This represents a 24.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

CNA Financial 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.