Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Cuts Stake in CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lessened its position in CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA - Free Report) by 35.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 21,316 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 11,621 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP's holdings in CNA Financial were worth $1,031,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 20.1% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,486,853 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $71,919,000 after buying an additional 249,346 shares during the period. Commerce Bank increased its position in CNA Financial by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 12,856 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $622,000 after acquiring an additional 320 shares during the period. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co raised its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 119.8% during the fourth quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 12,447 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $602,000 after acquiring an additional 6,784 shares during the last quarter. Regal Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 49.1% during the fourth quarter. Regal Investment Advisors LLC now owns 10,140 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $490,000 after purchasing an additional 3,339 shares during the period. Finally, Bridgewater Associates LP lifted its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 11.0% during the fourth quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 49,565 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $2,397,000 after purchasing an additional 4,908 shares during the period. 98.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

CNA Financial Stock Performance

Shares of CNA opened at $47.48 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $48.45 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $48.60. CNA Financial Co. has a 12 month low of $42.85 and a 12 month high of $52.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 9.23 and a beta of 0.53.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA - Get Free Report) last issued 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 the consensus estimate of $3.68 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.30 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that CNA Financial Co. will post 4.64 EPS for the current year.

CNA Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th will be given a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.88%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. CNA Financial's payout ratio is 56.10%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on CNA shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price 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. StockNews.com downgraded CNA Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Chairman Dino Robusto sold 6,250 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.61, for a total value of $297,562.50. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 711,838 shares in the company, valued at $33,890,607.18. This represents a 0.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Daniel Paul Franzetti sold 12,991 shares of the business'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 value of $637,338.46. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 75,612 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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 three months, insiders have sold 31,741 shares of company stock valued at $1,559,401. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.