Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Buys Shares of 7,992 CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 7,992 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $387,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Savant Capital LLC increased its holdings in CNA Financial by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 9,139 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $442,000 after acquiring an additional 230 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE boosted its position in shares of CNA Financial by 7.4% in the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 3,703 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $179,000 after acquiring an additional 254 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in CNA Financial by 29.2% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,265 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 286 shares during the period. Commerce Bank grew its position in CNA Financial by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 12,856 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $622,000 after buying an additional 320 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quent Capital LLC increased its stake in CNA Financial by 28.3% in the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 1,475 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $71,000 after acquiring an additional 325 shares during the last quarter. 98.45% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CNA Financial Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of CNA Financial stock traded down $0.44 on Tuesday, hitting $48.19. The stock had a trading volume of 190,373 shares, compared to its average volume of 326,916. 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 one year low of $42.85 and a one year high of $52.36. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $48.48 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $48.61. The stock has a market cap of $13.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.69, a PEG ratio of 9.23 and a beta of 0.53.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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). The firm had revenue of $3.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.68 billion. CNA Financial had a net margin of 6.72% and a return on equity of 12.90%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.30 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that CNA Financial Co. will post 4.64 EPS for the current year.

CNA Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.82%. 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 stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.06, for a total value of $319,125.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 718,088 shares in the company, valued at $36,665,573.28. This trade represents a 0.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Daniel Paul Franzetti sold 12,991 shares of CNA Financial stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.06, for a total value of $637,338.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 75,612 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,709,524.72. This represents a 14.66% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 31,741 shares of company stock valued at $1,559,401 over the last quarter. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on CNA shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target 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. StockNews.com cut CNA Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th.

CNA Financial Profile

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.