Barclays PLC Purchases 16,377 Shares of CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA)

Barclays PLC grew its position in shares of CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA - Free Report) by 108.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 31,444 shares of the insurance provider's stock after acquiring an additional 16,377 shares during the period. Barclays PLC's holdings in CNA Financial were worth $1,539,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in CNA. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new position in shares of CNA Financial in the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. Fairscale Capital LLC purchased a new stake in CNA Financial in the second quarter worth about $55,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 17.3% during the second quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,059 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 303 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of CNA Financial during the third quarter valued at approximately $146,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of CNA Financial by 74.8% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,635 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $167,000 after purchasing an additional 1,555 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.45% of the company's stock.

CNA Financial Stock Performance

CNA stock traded down $0.53 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $48.40. 159,778 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 274,698. The stock's 50-day moving average is $48.89 and its 200 day moving average is $48.49. The stock has a market cap of $13.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.08, a PEG ratio of 6.20 and a beta of 0.66. CNA Financial Co. has a 52-week low of $41.64 and a 52-week high of $52.36. The company has a current ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The insurance provider reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.07 by $0.01. CNA Financial had a return on equity of 13.30% and a net margin of 9.26%. The firm had revenue of $3.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.15 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.06 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that CNA Financial Co. will post 4.68 EPS for the current year.

CNA Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were given a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.64%. CNA Financial's payout ratio is 36.67%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other CNA Financial news, EVP Douglas Worman sold 22,973 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.75, for a total value of $1,119,933.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 133,777 shares in the company, valued at $6,521,628.75. This represents a 14.66 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America raised their price target on CNA Financial from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of CNA Financial from $54.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of CNA Financial from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th.

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.