CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) Shares Acquired by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its stake in shares of CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA - Free Report) by 32.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 71,106 shares of the insurance provider's stock after acquiring an additional 17,485 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd.'s holdings in CNA Financial were worth $3,439,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 66.0% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,177,110 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $56,937,000 after purchasing an additional 468,058 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of CNA Financial during the 4th quarter valued at about $14,859,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in CNA Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $13,129,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its holdings in CNA Financial by 36.5% in the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 363,389 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $17,577,000 after acquiring an additional 97,180 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC boosted its stake in CNA Financial by 276.3% in the fourth quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 82,893 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $4,010,000 after acquiring an additional 60,867 shares during the period. 98.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CNA Financial Stock Performance

NYSE CNA traded up $1.41 on Tuesday, hitting $48.16. The stock had a trading volume of 224,030 shares, compared to its average volume of 322,133. The company's 50-day moving average is $48.62 and its two-hundred day moving average is $48.70. The stock has a market cap of $13.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.68, a P/E/G ratio of 9.23 and a beta of 0.47. 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 Co. has a one year low of $42.33 and a one year high of $52.36.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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%. On average, analysts expect that CNA Financial Co. will post 4.64 earnings per share for the current year.

CNA Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 13th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. This is a boost 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 3.82%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. CNA Financial's payout ratio is currently 52.27%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Daniel Paul Franzetti sold 12,991 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.06, for a total transaction of $637,338.46. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 75,612 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,709,524.72. The trade was a 14.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Chairman Dino Robusto purchased 3,896 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $47.63 per share, with a total value of $185,566.48. Following the completion of the purchase, the chairman now owns 724,338 shares in the company, valued at $34,500,218.94. This represents a 0.54 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold 25,491 shares of company stock valued at $1,261,838 over the last 90 days. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on CNA shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on CNA Financial from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. StockNews.com cut 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.