FY2026 EPS Estimates for CNA Financial Cut by Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research cut CNA Financial’s FY2026 EPS estimate to $4.07 from $4.60 and kept a “Strong Sell” rating, even though the consensus full-year estimate remains higher at $4.33 per share.
• CNA recently missed quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $0.83 EPS versus the $1.30 analysts expected, though revenue came in above forecasts at $3.68 billion.
• The stock is yielding 4.3% after CNA declared a quarterly dividend of $0.48, or $1.92 annualized, while shares were trading near $44.47 and the stock’s broader analyst consensus remains Hold.

CNA Financial Corporation (NYSE:CNA - Free Report) - Investment analysts at Zacks Research lowered their FY2026 earnings estimates for CNA Financial in a research note issued on Monday, May 18th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the insurance provider will post earnings per share of $4.07 for the year, down from their prior estimate of $4.60. Zacks Research has a "Strong Sell" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for CNA Financial's current full-year earnings is $4.33 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for CNA Financial's Q4 2026 earnings at $0.94 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $1.21 EPS and Q1 2028 earnings at $1.12 EPS.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The insurance provider reported $0.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.30 by ($0.47). CNA Financial had a net margin of 8.08% and a return on equity of 11.57%. The company had revenue of $3.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.93 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.03 earnings per share.

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on CNA. Wall Street Zen cut shares of CNA Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, February 15th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of CNA Financial from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold".

CNA Financial Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of CNA Financial stock opened at $44.47 on Thursday. CNA Financial has a 12-month low of $42.48 and a 12-month high of $50.72. The company has a current ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The stock has a market cap of $12.03 billion, a PE ratio of 9.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.72 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a 50-day moving average of $46.12 and a two-hundred day moving average of $46.74.

CNA Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 18th will be given a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 18th. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.3%. CNA Financial's dividend payout ratio is currently 42.95%.

Insider Activity at CNA Financial

In other news, SVP Jeffrey John Neuenschwander sold 3,287 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.97, for a total value of $151,103.39. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 7,277 shares in the company, valued at $334,523.69. This represents a 31.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.29% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of CNA Financial

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of CNA. Amundi grew its position in shares of CNA Financial by 5.3% in the first quarter. Amundi now owns 7,787 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $395,000 after purchasing an additional 389 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its position in CNA Financial by 0.7% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 351,997 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $17,878,000 after acquiring an additional 2,466 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in CNA Financial by 12.9% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 5,966 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $303,000 after acquiring an additional 684 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth acquired a new stake in CNA Financial during the first quarter worth approximately $281,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in CNA Financial during the second quarter worth approximately $55,000. 98.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key CNA Financial News

Here are the key news stories impacting CNA Financial this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its estimates for CNA Financial’s Q3 2026 EPS to $1.21 from $1.20 and its Q2 2027 EPS to $1.30 from $1.28, suggesting slightly better near- and medium-term earnings expectations. CNA Financial Attractive After Recent Weakness
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple recent commentaries framed CNA as potentially attractive after a pullback, implying some investors may see value if earnings hold up. Assessing CNA Financial Valuation After Recent Share Price Pullback
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks Research also lifted its Q4 2027 EPS estimate to $1.25 from $1.13, while keeping a “Strong Sell” rating, indicating better long-range profit forecasts but no change in overall caution.
• Neutral Sentiment: The latest earnings-call coverage emphasized a balance of growth and caution, suggesting management commentary did not deliver a clear bullish catalyst. CNA Financial Balances Growth and Caution in Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research cut its Q2 2026 EPS estimate to $1.09 from $1.19 and lowered FY2027 to $4.98 from $5.22 and FY2028 to $4.95 from $5.29, reinforcing concerns about longer-term earnings momentum.
• Negative Sentiment: The firm maintained a “Strong Sell” rating, which may continue to pressure sentiment despite the higher estimates in some quarters.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.