Vident Advisory LLC Purchases 17,779 Shares of CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA)

Vident Advisory LLC lifted its position in shares of CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA - Free Report) by 102.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 35,134 shares of the insurance provider's stock after acquiring an additional 17,779 shares during the quarter. Vident Advisory LLC's holdings in CNA Financial were worth $1,699,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in shares of CNA Financial by 66.0% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,177,110 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $56,937,000 after acquiring an additional 468,058 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in shares of CNA Financial during the fourth quarter worth $255,000. Torray Investment Partners LLC raised its position in shares of CNA Financial by 27.4% during the fourth quarter. Torray Investment Partners LLC now owns 91,920 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $4,446,000 after acquiring an additional 19,758 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of CNA Financial during the fourth quarter worth $819,000. Finally, Prudential Financial Inc. raised its position in shares of CNA Financial by 250.8% during the fourth quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 45,137 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $2,211,000 after acquiring an additional 32,270 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.45% of the company's stock.

CNA Financial Trading Down 0.4%

NYSE CNA traded down $0.17 on Friday, reaching $46.94. The company had a trading volume of 271,581 shares, compared to its average volume of 327,893. The stock's 50 day moving average is $48.36 and its 200-day moving average is $48.59. The stock has a market cap of $12.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.34, a PEG ratio of 9.23 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. CNA Financial Co. has a 52 week low of $42.85 and a 52 week high of $52.36.

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 (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 business had revenue of $3.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.68 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.30 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that CNA Financial Co. will post 4.64 earnings per share for the current year.

CNA Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.92%. CNA Financial's dividend payout ratio is currently 56.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on CNA shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on CNA Financial from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Wall Street Zen downgraded CNA Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th.

Insider Transactions at CNA Financial

In related news, EVP Mark Steven James sold 5,015 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.35, for a total transaction of $242,475.25. Following 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Dino Robusto bought 3,896 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were bought at an average price of $47.63 per share, for a total transaction of $185,566.48. Following the acquisition, the chairman now directly owns 724,338 shares of the company's stock, valued at $34,500,218.94. This represents a 0.54% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold 36,756 shares of company stock valued at $1,801,876 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.30% 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.