Captrust Financial Advisors Boosts Stake in CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA)

Captrust Financial Advisors raised its stake in CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA - Free Report) by 200.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,364 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 11,586 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors' holdings in CNA Financial were worth $840,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new position in CNA Financial during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,065,000. Burney Co. grew its holdings in CNA Financial by 18.7% during the fourth quarter. Burney Co. now owns 13,409 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $649,000 after buying an additional 2,117 shares in the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC bought a new position in CNA Financial during the 4th quarter valued at $208,000. HB Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in CNA Financial during the 4th quarter valued at $257,000. Finally, Uncommon Cents Investing LLC boosted its holdings in CNA Financial by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. Uncommon Cents Investing LLC now owns 24,880 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,203,000 after acquiring an additional 1,515 shares during the last quarter. 98.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

CNA Financial Stock Performance

CNA stock traded down $0.50 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $47.00. The company's stock had a trading volume of 16,078 shares, compared to its average volume of 325,667. CNA Financial Co. has a 1 year low of $42.85 and a 1 year high of $52.36. The stock has a market cap of $12.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.35, a PEG ratio of 9.23 and a beta of 0.53. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $48.45 and its 200 day moving average price is $48.60. 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 (NYSE:CNA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 12.90% and a net margin of 6.72%. The company had revenue of $3.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.68 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.30 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that CNA Financial Co. will post 4.64 EPS for the current year.

CNA Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.91%. CNA Financial's payout ratio is currently 56.10%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other CNA Financial news, Chairman Dino Robusto sold 6,250 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.86, for a total value of $305,375.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 720,442 shares in the company, valued at $35,200,796.12. This trade represents a 0.86% decrease in their position. The sale 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 the company's 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 sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 31,741 shares of company stock valued at $1,559,401. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on CNA. 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 objective on shares of CNA Financial from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th.

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.