CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) Shares Purchased by BNP Paribas Financial Markets

BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in shares of CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA - Free Report) by 6,505.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 30,780 shares of the insurance provider's stock after acquiring an additional 30,314 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets' holdings in CNA Financial were worth $1,506,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in CNA. New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 366.7% during the third quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 1,401,539 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $68,591,000 after acquiring an additional 1,101,217 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in CNA Financial by 97.9% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,152,528 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $51,760,000 after purchasing an additional 570,172 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in CNA Financial by 45.5% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,068,956 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $49,247,000 after buying an additional 334,463 shares during the last quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 0.6% in the third quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 1,012,492 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $49,551,000 after buying an additional 5,539 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers grew its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 570.6% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 529,862 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $24,411,000 after buying an additional 450,843 shares during the last quarter. 98.45% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on CNA shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on CNA Financial from $54.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of CNA Financial from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. 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 Price Performance

CNA traded down $0.86 on Monday, hitting $49.23. 214,800 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 273,568. CNA Financial Co. has a one year low of $40.92 and a one year 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. The firm has a market cap of $13.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.44, a P/E/G ratio of 6.42 and a beta of 0.66. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $49.03 and its 200-day simple moving average is $48.13.

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

CNA Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. CNA Financial's payout ratio is 36.67%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other CNA Financial news, EVP Douglas Worman sold 22,973 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.75, for a total value of $1,119,933.75. Following 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Mark Steven James sold 18,547 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.58, for a total value of $938,107.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 22,917 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,159,141.86. This trade represents a 44.73 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.31% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.