CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) Short Interest Up 12.8% in January

CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA - Get Free Report) was the target of a large increase in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 917,400 shares, an increase of 12.8% from the December 31st total of 813,400 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 260,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.5 days. Currently, 0.3% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on CNA shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on shares of CNA Financial from $55.00 to $54.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. StockNews.com upgraded CNA Financial from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on shares of CNA Financial from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th.

CNA Financial Stock Down 1.3 %

CNA stock traded down $0.64 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $49.01. The stock had a trading volume of 340,427 shares, compared to its average volume of 220,474. The business has a 50-day moving average of $48.57 and a two-hundred day moving average of $49.04. The firm has a market cap of $13.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.21 and a beta of 0.66. CNA Financial has a 52-week low of $42.33 and a 52-week 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.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The insurance provider reported $1.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.07 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $3.62 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.15 billion. CNA Financial had a return on equity of 13.30% and a net margin of 9.26%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.06 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that CNA Financial will post 4.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of CNA Financial

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Sei Investments Co. acquired a new position in CNA Financial during the second quarter worth $724,000. Bank of Montreal Can raised its stake in CNA Financial by 17.8% during the second quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 12,019 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $557,000 after purchasing an additional 1,816 shares during the period. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new stake in CNA Financial during the second quarter worth $232,000. Creative Planning lifted its position in CNA Financial by 82.1% in the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 13,795 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $636,000 after buying an additional 6,221 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC boosted its position in shares of CNA Financial by 113.4% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 9,654 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $472,000 after purchasing an additional 5,131 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.45% of the company's stock.

About CNA Financial

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.