Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership Has $17.58 Million Holdings in CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA)

Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its position in shares of CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA - Free Report) by 36.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 363,389 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 97,180 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership owned 0.13% of CNA Financial worth $17,577,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in CNA Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $14,859,000. Prudential Financial Inc. lifted its stake in CNA Financial by 250.8% during the fourth quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 45,137 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $2,211,000 after purchasing an additional 32,270 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of CNA Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $74,000. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. boosted its stake in CNA Financial by 71.3% in the fourth quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 10,454 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $506,000 after acquiring an additional 4,350 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SlateStone Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of CNA Financial by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. SlateStone Wealth LLC now owns 22,710 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,098,000 after purchasing an additional 934 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.45% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at CNA Financial

In related news, CAO Daniel Paul Franzetti sold 12,991 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 directly owns 75,612 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,709,524.72. This represents a 14.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Chairman Dino Robusto acquired 3,896 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $47.63 per share, with a total value of $185,566.48. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chairman now owns 724,338 shares of the company's stock, valued at $34,500,218.94. The trade was a 0.54 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 25,491 shares of company stock worth $1,261,838. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

CNA Financial Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CNA traded up $2.47 on Wednesday, hitting $48.13. The company's stock had a trading volume of 879,640 shares, compared to its average volume of 316,448. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.28 and a quick ratio of 0.28. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $48.84 and a 200-day moving average of $48.76. CNA Financial Co. has a 12-month low of $42.33 and a 12-month high of $52.36. The company has a market capitalization of $13.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 9.23 and a beta of 0.47.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The insurance provider reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.14. CNA Financial had a net margin of 6.72% and a return on equity of 12.90%. As a group, research analysts predict that CNA Financial Co. will post 4.64 EPS for the current year.

CNA Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.82%. This is a positive change from CNA Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. CNA Financial's dividend payout ratio is presently 52.27%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of CNA Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on CNA Financial from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th.

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.