Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV Acquires New Stake in CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA)

Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV purchased a new position in shares of CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 7,551 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $365,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of CNA Financial by 41.4% during the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,939,336 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $93,806,000 after purchasing an additional 567,926 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in CNA Financial by 66.0% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,177,110 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $56,937,000 after buying an additional 468,058 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of CNA Financial during the fourth quarter valued at about $14,859,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in CNA Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $13,129,000. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in CNA Financial by 20.1% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,486,853 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $71,919,000 after purchasing an additional 249,346 shares during the last quarter. 98.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CNA Financial Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of CNA Financial stock traded down $0.20 on Tuesday, hitting $48.43. The stock had a trading volume of 7,630 shares, compared to its average volume of 326,185. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $48.48 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $48.61. The stock has a market cap of $13.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.77, a PEG ratio of 9.23 and a beta of 0.53. 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 $42.85 and a one year high of $52.36.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 5th. The insurance provider reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.16 by ($0.13). CNA Financial had a net margin of 6.72% and a return on equity of 12.90%. The company had revenue of $3.63 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.68 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.30 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that CNA Financial Co. will post 4.64 EPS for the current year.

CNA Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be paid a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.80%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. CNA Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 56.10%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on CNA shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on shares of CNA Financial from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company 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.

Insider Transactions at CNA Financial

In other CNA Financial news, CAO Daniel Paul Franzetti sold 12,991 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.06, for a total transaction of $637,338.46. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 75,612 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,709,524.72. This represents a 14.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Dino Robusto sold 6,250 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.86, for a total transaction of $305,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 720,442 shares in the company, valued at $35,200,796.12. This trade represents a 0.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 31,741 shares of company stock valued at $1,559,401 over the last 90 days. Company 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.