Voloridge Investment Management LLC Acquires New Shares in CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA)

Voloridge Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 34,217 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,655,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 41.4% in the 4th 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. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in shares of 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 worth $56,937,000 after purchasing an additional 468,058 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of CNA Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $14,859,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of CNA Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $13,129,000. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP lifted its stake in CNA Financial by 20.1% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,486,853 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $71,919,000 after purchasing an additional 249,346 shares during the last quarter. 98.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other CNA Financial news, EVP Mark Steven James sold 5,015 shares of the firm'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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 27,059 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,308,302.65. This trade represents a 15.64% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Daniel Paul Franzetti sold 12,991 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.06, for a total transaction of $637,338.46. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 75,612 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,709,524.72. This trade represents a 14.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 36,756 shares of company stock worth $1,801,876. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

CNA Financial Trading Up 0.9%

NYSE CNA traded up $0.42 on Monday, hitting $48.33. 427,063 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 321,005. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.28 and a quick ratio of 0.28. CNA Financial Co. has a twelve month low of $42.85 and a twelve month high of $52.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 9.23 and a beta of 0.53. The company's 50 day moving average price is $48.13 and its 200-day moving average price is $48.55.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The insurance provider reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.16 by ($0.13). CNA Financial had a return on equity of 12.90% and a net margin of 6.72%. The firm had revenue of $3.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.68 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.30 earnings per share. Analysts predict that CNA Financial Co. will post 4.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CNA Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.81%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. CNA Financial's payout ratio is 56.10%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.