Northern Trust Corp Boosts Stock Position in CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA)

Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA - Free Report) by 25.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 265,926 shares of the insurance provider's stock after buying an additional 53,792 shares during the quarter. Northern Trust Corp owned about 0.10% of CNA Financial worth $12,863,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

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

Insider Activity

In related news, Chairman Dino Robusto bought 3,896 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were bought at an average price of $47.63 per share, for a total transaction of $185,566.48. Following the completion of the purchase, the chairman now directly owns 724,338 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $34,500,218.94. This trade represents a 0.54% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 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 completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 75,612 shares in the company, valued at $3,709,524.72. This trade represents a 14.66% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 36,756 shares of company stock worth $1,801,876. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

CNA Financial Trading Down 0.8%

CNA stock traded down $0.37 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $47.13. The company's stock had a trading volume of 194,835 shares, compared to its average volume of 326,840. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.28. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $48.41 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $48.60. CNA Financial Co. has a 1 year low of $42.85 and a 1 year high of $52.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.39, a PEG ratio of 9.23 and a beta of 0.53.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA - Get Free Report) last released its 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 business had revenue of $3.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.68 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.30 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that CNA Financial Co. will post 4.64 EPS for the current year.

CNA Financial Dividend Announcement

The company 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 3.90%. CNA Financial's dividend payout ratio is currently 56.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on CNA. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on 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. Wall Street Zen downgraded CNA Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th.

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.