JPMorgan Chase & Co. Lowers Position in CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA)

JPMorgan Chase & Co. lessened its holdings in CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA - Free Report) by 98.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 28,068 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 1,477,448 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s holdings in CNA Financial were worth $1,374,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 366.7% in the 3rd quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 1,401,539 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $68,591,000 after buying an additional 1,101,217 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in CNA Financial by 97.9% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,152,528 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $51,760,000 after acquiring an additional 570,172 shares during the last quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC increased its stake in 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 valued at $49,551,000 after acquiring an additional 5,539 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC raised its position in CNA Financial by 158.0% during the third quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 288,443 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $14,116,000 after purchasing an additional 176,649 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Edgestream Partners L.P. bought a new stake in CNA Financial during the third quarter worth about $7,585,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.45% of the company's stock.

CNA Financial Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of CNA traded up $0.56 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $48.70. The company had a trading volume of 236,040 shares, compared to its average volume of 216,823. CNA Financial Co. has a 52-week low of $42.33 and a 52-week high of $52.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $48.60 and its 200 day moving average price is $48.92. The firm has a market cap of $13.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.15, a P/E/G ratio of 6.02 and a beta of 0.67.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $1.07 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $3.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.15 billion. CNA Financial had a return on equity of 13.30% and a net margin of 9.26%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.06 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that CNA Financial Co. will post 4.68 EPS for the current year.

CNA Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.61%. CNA Financial's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.67%.

Insider Buying and Selling at CNA Financial

In related news, EVP Douglas Worman sold 22,973 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 133,777 shares in the company, valued at $6,521,628.75. The trade was a 14.66 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on CNA. Bank of America increased their price objective on CNA Financial from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on shares of CNA Financial from $55.00 to $54.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of CNA Financial from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th.

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.