CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) Hits New 12-Month Low - Time to Sell?

CNA Financial Corporation (NYSE:CNA - Get Free Report)'s stock price hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $44.57 and last traded at $44.75, with a volume of 174189 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $45.07.

CNA Financial Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $11.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.39, a P/E/G ratio of 5.78 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $46.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $47.92.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA - Get Free Report) last posted 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 net margin of 6.19% and a return on equity of 11.99%. The firm had revenue of $3.63 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.68 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.30 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that CNA Financial Corporation will post 4.64 EPS for the current year.

CNA Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th were issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.19%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 19th. CNA Financial's dividend payout ratio is 56.10%.

Insider Transactions at CNA Financial

In other CNA Financial news, Chairman Dino Robusto sold 6,250 shares of the 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 transaction, the chairman owned 711,838 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $33,890,607.18. This represents a 0.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Mark Steven James sold 5,015 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.35, for a total value of $242,475.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 27,059 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,308,302.65. This represents a 15.64% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 17,515 shares of company stock worth $837,725. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of CNA Financial

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CNA. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in CNA Financial by 210.8% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 862,690 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $43,816,000 after buying an additional 585,076 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in CNA Financial by 41.4% in the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,939,336 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $93,806,000 after buying an additional 567,926 shares in the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. purchased a new stake in CNA Financial in the first quarter worth about $16,258,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in CNA Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $14,859,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in CNA Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $13,129,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.45% of the company's stock.

About CNA Financial

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.