CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) Shares Acquired by Barclays PLC

Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in shares of CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) by 108.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 31,444 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 16,377 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC’s holdings in CNA Financial were worth $1,539,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in CNA Financial by 107.1% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 22,172 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,066,000 after acquiring an additional 11,468 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 570,172 shares during the period. Creative Planning boosted its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 16.5% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 16,067 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $786,000 after purchasing an additional 2,272 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 178.9% in the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 76,136 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $3,505,000 after purchasing an additional 48,837 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quest Partners LLC increased its stake in CNA Financial by 69.3% during the 3rd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 26,737 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,309,000 after buying an additional 10,940 shares during the period. 98.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CNA Financial Price Performance

Shares of CNA opened at $48.40 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $48.89 and its 200-day simple moving average is $48.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.08, a PEG ratio of 6.20 and a beta of 0.66. CNA Financial Co. has a twelve month low of $41.64 and a twelve month high of $52.36.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The insurance provider reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.07 by $0.01. CNA Financial had a return on equity of 13.30% and a net margin of 9.26%. The company had revenue of $3.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.15 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.06 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that CNA Financial Co. will post 4.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CNA Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.64%. CNA Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.67%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Douglas Worman sold 22,973 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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. This trade represents a 14.66 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on CNA shares. Bank of America upped their price objective on CNA Financial from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. StockNews.com raised CNA Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on CNA Financial from $54.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th.

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.