StockNews.com Upgrades CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) to Buy

StockNews.com upgraded shares of CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA - Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday morning.

Several other research analysts have also commented on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on shares of CNA Financial from $54.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Bank of America raised their target price on 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 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:CNA traded down $0.03 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $48.30. 216,560 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 276,925. The company has a market capitalization of $13.08 billion, a PE ratio of 10.06, a P/E/G ratio of 6.22 and a beta of 0.65. CNA Financial has a 52-week low of $38.87 and a 52-week high of $52.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 0.26. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $49.22 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $47.51.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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. CNA Financial had a return on equity of 13.30% and a net margin of 9.26%. The business had revenue of $3.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.15 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.06 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that CNA Financial will post 4.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CNA Financial Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other CNA Financial news, EVP Elizabeth Ann Aguinaga sold 26,160 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.60, for a total transaction of $1,297,536.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 47,744 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,368,102.40. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, EVP Elizabeth Ann Aguinaga sold 26,160 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.60, for a total transaction of $1,297,536.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 47,744 shares in the company, valued at $2,368,102.40. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Douglas Worman sold 22,973 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.75, for a total transaction of $1,119,933.75. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 133,777 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,521,628.75. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 67,680 shares of company stock valued at $3,355,577. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Tidal Investments LLC raised its holdings in CNA Financial by 335.4% in the 1st quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 30,046 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,365,000 after acquiring an additional 23,146 shares in the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP bought a new position in CNA Financial in the first quarter worth $520,000. Symmetry Partners LLC boosted its stake in CNA Financial by 318.3% during the second quarter. Symmetry Partners LLC now owns 20,361 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $938,000 after buying an additional 15,493 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in CNA Financial by 97.9% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,152,528 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $51,760,000 after buying an additional 570,172 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Creative Planning increased its holdings in CNA Financial by 16.5% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 16,067 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $786,000 after buying an additional 2,272 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.