Capula Management Ltd Acquires 21,591 Shares of CNA Financial Corporation $CNA

Key Points

• Capula Management Ltd increased its stake in CNA by 24.6%, buying 21,591 shares to hold 109,529 shares valued at about $5.09 million at quarter-end.
• Chairman Dino Robusto sold 6,250 shares on Jan. 2 at $47.62, trimming his position to 661,838 shares (insiders now own 0.30% of the stock).
• CNA missed quarterly EPS ($1.16 vs. $1.20 estimate) while reporting $3.83 billion in revenue, and the firm paid a $2.00 annual dividend (ex-dividend Feb. 23); consensus analyst rating is "Moderate Buy."

Capula Management Ltd grew its holdings in CNA Financial Corporation (NYSE:CNA - Free Report) by 24.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 109,529 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 21,591 shares during the period. Capula Management Ltd's holdings in CNA Financial were worth $5,089,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. CORDA Investment Management LLC. grew its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. CORDA Investment Management LLC. now owns 701,884 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $32,610,000 after acquiring an additional 17,046 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new stake in CNA Financial during the third quarter worth about $1,092,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its position in CNA Financial by 145.6% during the second quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 214,575 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $9,984,000 after purchasing an additional 127,223 shares during the last quarter. Torray Investment Partners LLC boosted its position in CNA Financial by 18.8% during the third quarter. Torray Investment Partners LLC now owns 502,616 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $23,352,000 after purchasing an additional 79,698 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd grew its stake in CNA Financial by 362.6% in the third quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 40,350 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,875,000 after purchasing an additional 31,628 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.45% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other CNA Financial news, Chairman Dino Robusto sold 6,250 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.62, for a total transaction of $297,625.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman owned 661,838 shares of the company's stock, valued at $31,516,725.56. This trade represents a 0.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CNA has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings raised CNA Financial from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Wall Street Zen downgraded CNA Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, February 15th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of CNA Financial from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".

CNA Financial Trading Up 0.2%

CNA Financial stock opened at $46.63 on Friday. CNA Financial Corporation has a 52 week low of $43.29 and a 52 week high of $51.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.94, a PEG ratio of 6.75 and a beta of 0.34. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $47.77 and a 200 day simple moving average of $46.93.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 9th. The insurance provider reported $1.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.20 by ($0.04). CNA Financial had a net margin of 8.53% and a return on equity of 12.23%. The business had revenue of $3.83 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.88 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.25 EPS. Analysts expect that CNA Financial Corporation will post 4.64 earnings per share for the current year.

CNA Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced an annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 12th. Investors of record on Monday, February 23rd were issued a dividend of $2.00 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 23rd. This represents a dividend yield of 409.0%. CNA Financial's payout ratio is presently 40.94%.

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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