CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.14 EPS

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA - Get Free Report) issued its earnings results on Monday. The insurance provider reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.11 by $0.14, Zacks reports. CNA Financial had a net margin of 9.26% and a return on equity of 13.30%.

CNA Financial Stock Performance

CNA Financial stock traded up $0.81 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $49.42. The company had a trading volume of 353,016 shares, compared to its average volume of 261,573. The firm has a market cap of $13.38 billion, a PE ratio of 10.30 and a beta of 0.66. 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 has a one year low of $42.33 and a one year high of $52.36. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $48.48 and a 200 day moving average of $49.09.

CNA Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be issued a $0.46 dividend. This is a boost from CNA Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.72%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th. CNA Financial's dividend payout ratio is currently 52.27%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on CNA shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on shares of CNA Financial from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. StockNews.com cut shares of CNA Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report 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.