CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $0.46

CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA - Get Free Report) announced a quarterly dividend on Monday, February 10th,Wall Street Journal reports. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be given a dividend of 0.46 per share by the insurance provider on Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 24th. This is a positive change from CNA Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.44.

CNA Financial has increased its dividend payment by an average of 5.0% annually over the last three years. CNA Financial has a payout ratio of 33.8% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect CNA Financial to earn $4.79 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.84 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 38.4%.

CNA Financial Price Performance

Shares of CNA stock traded down $0.71 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $48.65. The stock had a trading volume of 351,160 shares, compared to its average volume of 209,462. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.14 and a beta of 0.66. CNA Financial has a one year low of $42.33 and a one year high of $52.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.26 and a quick ratio of 0.26. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $48.45 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $49.08.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The insurance provider reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.14. CNA Financial had a return on equity of 13.30% and a net margin of 9.26%. Equities analysts forecast that CNA Financial will post 4.68 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on CNA. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on shares of CNA Financial from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. StockNews.com downgraded shares of CNA Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday.

CNA Financial Company 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.