CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) Shares Acquired by Bridgewater Associates LP

Bridgewater Associates LP boosted its position in CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) by 11.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 49,565 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 4,908 shares during the quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP’s holdings in CNA Financial were worth $2,397,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in CNA Financial by 663.4% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 771 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 670 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of CNA Financial by 29.2% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,265 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $61,000 after buying an additional 286 shares in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 28.3% in the fourth quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 1,475 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 325 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in CNA Financial in the fourth quarter valued at $74,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in CNA Financial by 16.7% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,051 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $99,000 after acquiring an additional 293 shares during the last quarter. 98.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on shares of CNA Financial from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. StockNews.com cut CNA Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th.

CNA Financial Stock Up 0.4 %

CNA stock opened at $47.92 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $12.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.61, a PEG ratio of 9.23 and a beta of 0.47. CNA Financial Co. has a 1-year low of $42.33 and a 1-year high of $52.36. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $48.68 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $48.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.28 and a quick ratio of 0.28.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 predict that CNA Financial Co. will post 4.64 EPS for the current year.

CNA Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.84%. This is a boost from CNA Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. CNA Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 52.27%.

Insider Activity at CNA Financial

In related news, CAO Daniel Paul Franzetti sold 12,991 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.06, for a total value of $637,338.46. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 75,612 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,709,524.72. This trade represents a 14.66 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Dino Robusto sold 6,250 shares of CNA Financial stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.86, for a total transaction of $305,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 720,442 shares in the company, valued at approximately $35,200,796.12. This represents a 0.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 25,491 shares of company stock worth $1,261,838 in the last 90 days. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

CNA Financial Profile

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.