HighTower Advisors LLC Buys 11,468 Shares of CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA)

HighTower Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA - Free Report) by 107.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 22,172 shares of the insurance provider's stock after buying an additional 11,468 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC's holdings in CNA Financial were worth $1,066,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new position in shares of CNA Financial in the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Fairscale Capital LLC acquired a new position in CNA Financial in the 2nd quarter worth $55,000. Whittier Trust Co. bought a new position in CNA Financial during the 2nd quarter worth about $92,000. Blue Trust Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of CNA Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at about $94,000. Finally, Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 17.3% in 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. 98.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

CNA Financial Price Performance

Shares of CNA stock traded down $1.28 on Wednesday, hitting $47.12. 214,910 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 276,037. The company has a 50 day moving average of $49.08 and a 200 day moving average of $48.32. The stock has a market cap of $12.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.20 and a beta of 0.66. CNA Financial Co. has a 12 month low of $41.42 and a 12 month high of $52.36. 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 (NYSE:CNA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The insurance provider reported $1.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.07 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $3.62 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.15 billion. CNA Financial had a net margin of 9.26% and a return on equity of 13.30%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.06 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.74%. CNA Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.67%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other CNA Financial news, EVP Douglas Worman sold 22,973 shares of the business'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. The trade was a 14.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

CNA Financial 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.