Norges Bank Buys New Position in CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA)

Norges Bank bought a new stake in CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 307,194 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $14,859,000. Norges Bank owned approximately 0.11% of CNA Financial as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Prudential Financial Inc. increased its stake in CNA Financial by 250.8% during the fourth quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 45,137 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $2,211,000 after acquiring an additional 32,270 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of CNA Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $74,000. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. increased its position in shares of CNA Financial by 71.3% during the 4th quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 10,454 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $506,000 after purchasing an additional 4,350 shares during the last quarter. SlateStone Wealth LLC raised its holdings in CNA Financial by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. SlateStone Wealth LLC now owns 22,710 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,098,000 after buying an additional 934 shares during the period. Finally, Brandes Investment Partners LP lifted its position in CNA Financial by 12.1% in the fourth quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 14,382 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $696,000 after buying an additional 1,548 shares during the last quarter. 98.45% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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CNA Financial Trading Down 0.5 %

CNA Financial stock traded down $0.23 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $47.50. The company's stock had a trading volume of 371,274 shares, compared to its average volume of 319,114. CNA Financial Co. has a one year low of $42.33 and a one year high of $52.36. The stock has a market cap of $12.83 billion, a PE ratio of 13.49, a P/E/G ratio of 9.23 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a 50 day moving average of $48.79 and a 200-day moving average of $48.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.28.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The insurance provider reported $1.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.11 by $0.14. CNA Financial had a net margin of 6.72% and a return on equity of 12.90%. On average, research analysts anticipate that CNA Financial Co. will post 4.64 EPS for the current year.

CNA Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. This is an increase from CNA Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. CNA Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 52.27%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced 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 research note on Wednesday, February 12th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of CNA Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th.

Insider Buying and Selling at CNA Financial

In other news, Chairman Dino Robusto sold 6,250 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.86, for a total transaction of $305,375.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 720,442 shares in the company, valued at approximately $35,200,796.12. This trade represents a 0.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Daniel Paul Franzetti sold 12,991 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.06, for a total transaction of $637,338.46. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 75,612 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,709,524.72. This trade represents a 14.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 25,491 shares of company stock valued at $1,261,838 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

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.