JPMorgan Chase & Co. Lowers Holdings in CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA)

JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut its holdings in shares of CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA - Free Report) by 75.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,866 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 21,202 shares during the quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s holdings in CNA Financial were worth $332,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of CNA. Prudential Financial Inc. grew its position in CNA Financial by 250.8% in the 4th quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 45,137 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $2,211,000 after acquiring an additional 32,270 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in shares of CNA Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $74,000. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. increased its stake in CNA Financial by 71.3% during the 4th quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 10,454 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $506,000 after buying an additional 4,350 shares during the period. SlateStone Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in CNA Financial by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. SlateStone Wealth LLC now owns 22,710 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,098,000 after buying an additional 934 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brandes Investment Partners LP boosted its position in CNA Financial by 12.1% in the 4th quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 14,382 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $696,000 after buying an additional 1,548 shares during the period. 98.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Daniel Paul Franzetti sold 12,991 shares of the firm's 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 75,612 shares in the company, valued at $3,709,524.72. This trade represents a 14.66 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Dino Robusto acquired 3,896 shares of CNA Financial stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $47.63 per share, with a total value of $185,566.48. Following the purchase, the chairman now owns 724,338 shares of the company's stock, valued at $34,500,218.94. The trade was a 0.54 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 31,741 shares of company stock valued at $1,559,401. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CNA has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com lowered CNA Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased 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.

CNA Financial Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of CNA traded up $0.12 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $48.42. The stock had a trading volume of 11,276 shares, compared to its average volume of 325,455. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.28 and a quick ratio of 0.28. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $48.44 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $48.63. The company has a market cap of $13.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.76, a PEG ratio of 9.23 and a beta of 0.53. CNA Financial Co. has a 1-year low of $42.85 and a 1-year high of $52.36.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 return on equity of 12.90% and a net margin of 6.72%. The business had revenue of $3.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.68 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.30 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that CNA Financial Co. will post 4.64 earnings per share for the current year.

CNA Financial Announces Dividend

The business 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 $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.80%. CNA Financial's dividend payout ratio is currently 52.27%.

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.