Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Invests $387,000 in CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 7,992 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $387,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake 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 valued at $93,806,000 after buying an additional 567,926 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in CNA Financial by 66.0% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,177,110 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $56,937,000 after purchasing an additional 468,058 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in CNA Financial during the 4th quarter worth $14,859,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in CNA Financial during the 4th quarter worth $13,129,000. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in CNA Financial by 20.1% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,486,853 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $71,919,000 after purchasing an additional 249,346 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.45% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on CNA. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on CNA Financial from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of CNA Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th.

CNA Financial Price Performance

Shares of CNA traded down $0.93 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $47.09. The company had a trading volume of 215,881 shares, compared to its average volume of 321,399. The company has a market capitalization of $12.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.38, a PEG ratio of 9.23 and a beta of 0.53. CNA Financial Co. has a 12-month low of $42.85 and a 12-month high of $52.36. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $48.01 and a 200-day simple moving average of $48.54. The company has a current ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The insurance provider reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.16 by ($0.13). CNA Financial had a net margin of 6.72% and a return on equity of 12.90%. The firm had revenue of $3.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.68 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.30 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that CNA Financial Co. will post 4.64 earnings per share for the current year.

CNA Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.91%. CNA Financial's dividend payout ratio is presently 56.10%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Chairman Dino Robusto sold 6,250 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.63, for a total transaction of $297,687.50. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 705,588 shares in the company, valued at $33,607,156.44. This trade represents a 0.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Mark Steven James sold 5,015 shares of CNA Financial stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.35, for a total transaction of $242,475.25. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 27,059 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,308,302.65. This represents a 15.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 43,006 shares of company stock valued at $2,099,564. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.