CNA Financial Corporation (NYSE:CNA) Announces $0.48 Quarterly Dividend

Key Points

• CNA Financial declared a quarterly dividend of $0.48 per share, payable September 3 to shareholders of record on August 17. The dividend represents a 3.6% annualized yield, and the company has raised its dividend for nine consecutive years.
• The dividend appears well covered, with a current payout ratio of 38.6% and an expected future payout ratio of approximately 40.2% based on projected earnings.
• CNA reported quarterly earnings of $1.19 per share, beating analyst estimates of $1.08, while revenue of $3.83 billion also exceeded expectations. Shares rose 1.9% to $53.48, and analysts’ average rating is “Moderate Buy.”

CNA Financial Corporation (NYSE:CNA - Get Free Report) declared a quarterly dividend on Monday, August 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be given a dividend of 0.48 per share by the insurance provider on Thursday, September 3rd. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th.

CNA Financial has raised its dividend payment by an average of 0.0%per year over the last three years and has increased its dividend every year for the last 9 years. CNA Financial has a dividend payout ratio of 38.6% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect CNA Financial to earn $4.78 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.92 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 40.2%.

CNA Financial Trading Up 1.9%

CNA traded up $1.01 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $53.48. The stock had a trading volume of 647,544 shares, compared to its average volume of 492,665. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $48.12 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $47.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.97, a P/E/G ratio of 7.17 and a beta of 0.28. CNA Financial has a 52 week low of $41.53 and a 52 week high of $55.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 0.26.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The insurance provider reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.11. CNA Financial had a return on equity of 11.57% and a net margin of 8.08%.The company had revenue of $3.83 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.97 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.23 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that CNA Financial will post 4.09 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on CNA. Weiss Ratings raised CNA Financial from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Zacks Research raised shares of CNA Financial from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, CNA Financial has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

About CNA Financial

CNA Financial Corporation is a leading U.S.-based commercial property and casualty insurance company offering a broad portfolio of risk management and insurance solutions. The company underwrites coverage for businesses of all sizes across a variety of industry sectors, including manufacturing, healthcare, energy, technology, construction and real estate. In addition to core property and casualty insurance, CNA delivers specialized products such as surety bonds, professional liability, environmental liability and commercial auto coverage.

Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, CNA traces its origins to the founding of Continental Casualty Company in 1897.

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