CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) Releases Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.01 EPS

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA - Get Free Report) posted its earnings results on Monday. The insurance provider reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.07 by $0.01, Briefing.com reports. CNA Financial had a net margin of 9.27% and a return on equity of 14.02%. The firm had revenue of $3.62 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.15 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.06 EPS.

CNA Financial Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of CNA Financial stock traded up $0.67 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $47.48. 297,609 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 277,090. The stock has a market cap of $12.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 0.65. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $49.60 and its 200 day moving average price is $47.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.27 and a quick ratio of 0.27. CNA Financial has a 12-month low of $38.32 and a 12-month high of $52.36.

CNA Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be given a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.71%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. CNA Financial's dividend payout ratio is presently 37.37%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CNA has been the subject of a number of research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on CNA Financial from $48.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Bank of America lifted their target price on CNA Financial from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th.

Insider Activity at CNA Financial

In other news, EVP Mark Steven James sold 18,547 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.58, for a total transaction of $938,107.26. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 22,917 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,159,141.86. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Mark Steven James sold 18,547 shares of CNA Financial stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.58, for a total transaction of $938,107.26. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 22,917 shares in the company, valued at $1,159,141.86. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Elizabeth Ann Aguinaga sold 26,160 shares of CNA Financial stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.60, for a total value of $1,297,536.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 47,744 shares in the company, valued at $2,368,102.40. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.