AQR Capital Management LLC Buys 415,856 Shares of CNA Financial Corporation $CNA

Key Points

• AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in CNA Financial Corporation by 21.4%, holding approximately 2.36 million shares valued at around $119 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• In the first quarter, several institutional investors expanded their positions in CNA Financial, including Comerica Bank, which boosted its stake by 168.3%.
• CNA Financial's recent quarterly earnings reported $1.23 earnings per share, surpassing analyst expectations of $0.94, with a total revenue of $3.37 billion for the quarter.

AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in CNA Financial Corporation (NYSE:CNA - Free Report) by 21.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,355,192 shares of the insurance provider's stock after acquiring an additional 415,856 shares during the quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC owned 0.87% of CNA Financial worth $119,090,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in CNA. Stifel Financial Corp lifted its position in CNA Financial by 68.3% in the 4th quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 9,812 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $475,000 after acquiring an additional 3,983 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in CNA Financial by 25.4% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 265,926 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $12,863,000 after buying an additional 53,792 shares in the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV bought a new stake in CNA Financial during the 4th quarter worth about $365,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its position in CNA Financial by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 37,960 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,836,000 after buying an additional 447 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in CNA Financial by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 122,153 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $5,909,000 after buying an additional 854 shares in the last quarter. 98.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

CNA Financial Stock Down 0.8%

NYSE:CNA traded down $0.40 on Tuesday, hitting $47.31. 264,779 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 421,072. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $46.41 and a 200-day moving average price of $47.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.27 and a quick ratio of 0.27. CNA Financial Corporation has a 52 week low of $43.29 and a 52 week high of $51.91. The company has a market cap of $12.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.29 and a beta of 0.54.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The insurance provider reported $1.23 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.29. CNA Financial had a net margin of 5.99% and a return on equity of 11.85%. The firm had revenue of $3.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.76 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.19 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that CNA Financial Corporation will post 4.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CNA Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th were issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 18th. CNA Financial's dividend payout ratio is presently 57.32%.

Insider Transactions at CNA Financial

In other news, CFO Scott R. Lindquist sold 8,380 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.98, for a total value of $410,452.40. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 81,487 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,991,233.26. This represents a 9.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Dino Robusto sold 6,250 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.00, for a total transaction of $306,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman directly owned 686,838 shares in the company, valued at approximately $33,655,062. The trade was a 0.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 24,630 shares of company stock worth $1,204,802. 0.36% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.