River Road Asset Management LLC Decreases Stake in CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA)

River Road Asset Management LLC lessened its stake in CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA - Free Report) by 1.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 997,588 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 14,904 shares during the period. River Road Asset Management LLC owned about 0.37% of CNA Financial worth $48,253,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its position in CNA Financial by 107.1% in the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 22,172 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,066,000 after purchasing an additional 11,468 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of CNA Financial by 69.3% during the 3rd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 26,737 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,309,000 after buying an additional 10,940 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of CNA Financial by 43.9% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 41,051 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $2,009,000 after buying an additional 12,528 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its position in shares of CNA Financial by 108.7% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 31,444 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,539,000 after buying an additional 16,377 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of CNA Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $840,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.45% of the company's stock.

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CNA Financial Trading Up 2.0 %

Shares of CNA traded up $0.97 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $49.05. The company had a trading volume of 364,498 shares, compared to its average volume of 283,489. CNA Financial Co. has a 1-year low of $42.33 and a 1-year high of $52.36. The stock has a market cap of $13.29 billion, a PE ratio of 13.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 9.23 and a beta of 0.68. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $48.56 and a 200-day simple moving average of $49.01. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28.

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

CNA Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This is an increase from CNA Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.75%. CNA Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 52.27%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on CNA Financial from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. StockNews.com downgraded CNA Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th.

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.