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

Barclays PLC raised its stake in CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA - Free Report) by 27.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 40,053 shares of the insurance provider's stock after buying an additional 8,609 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC's holdings in CNA Financial were worth $1,937,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of CNA. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in CNA Financial during the third quarter worth about $690,000. Tidal Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 9.8% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 14,974 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $733,000 after buying an additional 1,338 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of CNA Financial by 16.7% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,051 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $99,000 after buying an additional 293 shares during the period. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in CNA Financial by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 7,767 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $376,000 after acquiring an additional 327 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new position in CNA Financial in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,065,000. 98.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CNA Financial Stock Down 1.5 %

NYSE:CNA opened at $47.41 on Friday. CNA Financial Co. has a 52 week low of $42.33 and a 52 week high of $52.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The stock's fifty day moving average is $48.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $48.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 9.23 and a beta of 0.47.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The insurance provider reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.11 by $0.14. CNA Financial had a return on equity of 12.90% and a net margin of 6.72%. Research analysts anticipate that CNA Financial Co. will post 4.64 EPS for the current year.

CNA Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 13th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. This is an increase from CNA Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. CNA Financial's dividend payout ratio is presently 52.27%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CNA has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered CNA Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price 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.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Chairman Dino Robusto sold 6,250 shares of CNA Financial stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.61, for a total value of $297,562.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 711,838 shares in the company, valued at approximately $33,890,607.18. This trade represents a 0.87 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Daniel Paul Franzetti sold 12,991 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.06, for a total transaction of $637,338.46. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 75,612 shares in the company, valued at $3,709,524.72. The trade was a 14.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 31,741 shares of company stock worth $1,559,401 in the last ninety days. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.

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