Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Sells 7,898 Shares of CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA)

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) by 2.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 394,516 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 7,898 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. owned approximately 0.15% of CNA Financial worth $16,692,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. boosted its position in shares of CNA Financial by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 41,471 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,632,000 after purchasing an additional 1,706 shares in the last quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 11.3% during the third quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 30,111 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,185,000 after acquiring an additional 3,054 shares in the last quarter. Trexquant Investment LP purchased a new position in shares of CNA Financial in the 3rd quarter worth about $634,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 3,160.5% in the third quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 8,575 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $337,000 after buying an additional 8,312 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gotham Asset Management LLC lifted its position in CNA Financial by 10.5% in the 3rd quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 46,423 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,827,000 after acquiring an additional 4,421 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.45% of the company’s stock.

CNA Financial Price Performance

Shares of CNA Financial stock opened at $45.05 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $44.50 and its 200 day moving average is $43.98. CNA Financial Co. has a one year low of $37.54 and a one year high of $47.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.27. The stock has a market cap of $12.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.65.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 6th. The insurance provider reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $3.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.94 billion. CNA Financial had a net margin of 9.17% and a return on equity of 14.27%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.19 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that CNA Financial Co. will post 4.93 earnings per share for the current year.

CNA Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 20th were given a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.91%. This is an increase from CNA Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 17th. CNA Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.43%.

Insider Activity at CNA Financial

In other CNA Financial news, CAO Daniel Paul Franzetti sold 23,301 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.78, for a total value of $1,043,418.78. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 63,996 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,865,740.88. 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 owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of CNA Financial from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of CNA Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 16th.

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.