Marshall Wace LLP Reduces Position in CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA)

Marshall Wace LLP decreased its holdings in CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA - Free Report) by 35.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 180,339 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 100,769 shares during the quarter. Marshall Wace LLP owned 0.07% of CNA Financial worth $8,723,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in CNA. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in CNA Financial by 663.4% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 771 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 670 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in CNA Financial by 29.2% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,265 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 286 shares in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC lifted its holdings in CNA Financial by 28.3% during the fourth quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 1,475 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $71,000 after purchasing an additional 325 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in CNA Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $74,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of CNA Financial by 16.7% during the fourth 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 last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.45% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Chairman Dino Robusto purchased 3,896 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $47.63 per share, with a total value of $185,566.48. Following the purchase, the chairman now owns 724,338 shares in the company, valued at approximately $34,500,218.94. This trade represents a 0.54 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Daniel Paul Franzetti sold 12,991 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.06, for a total transaction of $637,338.46. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 75,612 shares in the company, valued at $3,709,524.72. This trade represents a 14.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 25,491 shares of company stock worth $1,261,838. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports 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 on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. StockNews.com cut shares of CNA Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th.

CNA Financial Price Performance

Shares of CNA Financial stock traded up $0.39 on Monday, hitting $47.65. 319,312 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 324,183. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 9.23 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.28. CNA Financial Co. has a 52 week low of $42.33 and a 52 week high of $52.36. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $48.52 and a 200 day simple moving average of $48.70.

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

CNA Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 13th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were given a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This is a boost from CNA Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. CNA Financial's payout ratio is currently 52.27%.

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.