GAMMA Investing LLC Purchases 293 Shares of CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA)

GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) by 16.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,051 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 293 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC’s holdings in CNA Financial were worth $99,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. New York State Common Retirement Fund raised its position in CNA Financial by 366.7% in the 3rd quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 1,401,539 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $68,591,000 after buying an additional 1,101,217 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of CNA Financial by 97.9% during the 2nd 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 last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC increased its position in shares of CNA Financial by 158.0% during the 3rd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 288,443 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $14,116,000 after purchasing an additional 176,649 shares during the last quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. bought a new position in shares of CNA Financial during the 3rd quarter worth $7,585,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 786.5% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 153,669 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $7,080,000 after acquiring an additional 136,334 shares during the period. 98.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on the company. StockNews.com upgraded CNA Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on CNA Financial from $55.00 to $54.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on CNA Financial from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th.

CNA Financial Price Performance

Shares of CNA Financial stock opened at $45.78 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.26 and a quick ratio of 0.26. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $48.67 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $48.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.20 and a beta of 0.67. CNA Financial Co. has a one year low of $41.64 and a one year high of $52.36.

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

CNA Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.84%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. CNA Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.67%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Douglas Worman sold 22,973 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 133,777 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,521,628.75. This represents a 14.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

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.