Proficio Capital Partners LLC Invests $819,000 in CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA)

Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 16,930 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $819,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in CNA. Raymond James Trust N.A. increased its holdings in CNA Financial by 4.1% during the third quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 6,526 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $319,000 after buying an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 65.8% in the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 10,665 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $522,000 after purchasing an additional 4,231 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new position in shares of CNA Financial in the third quarter valued at $1,668,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 6,505.2% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 30,780 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,506,000 after purchasing an additional 30,314 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bridgewater Associates LP increased its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 11.0% in the third quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 44,657 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,186,000 after purchasing an additional 4,424 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.45% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of CNA Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target 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.

CNA Financial Stock Performance

NYSE:CNA opened at $48.80 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $13.22 billion, a PE ratio of 13.86, a P/E/G ratio of 9.23 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $48.76 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $48.90. 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 Co. has a fifty-two week low of $42.33 and a fifty-two week high of $52.36.

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

CNA Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.77%. This is a boost from CNA Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. CNA Financial’s payout ratio is presently 52.27%.

Insider Transactions at CNA Financial

In related news, Chairman Dino Robusto bought 3,896 shares of CNA Financial stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $47.63 per share, with a total value of $185,566.48. Following the acquisition, the chairman now directly owns 724,338 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $34,500,218.94. This represents a 0.54 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Daniel Paul Franzetti sold 12,991 shares of CNA Financial stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.06, for a total value of $637,338.46. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 75,612 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,709,524.72. The trade was a 14.66 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

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.