Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Boosts CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) Price Target to $50.00

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA - Get Free Report) had its target price raised by equities research analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $48.00 to $50.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "market perform" rating on the insurance provider's stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods' target price suggests a potential upside of 13.51% from the stock's previous close.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Bank of America downgraded shares of CNA Financial from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $39.00 to $43.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of CNA Financial from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th.

CNA Financial Stock Down 0.1 %

NYSE:CNA traded down $0.05 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $44.05. The company's stock had a trading volume of 156,485 shares, compared to its average volume of 224,966. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.64. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $44.52 and a 200-day moving average of $42.42. The company has a current ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. CNA Financial has a 52-week low of $36.41 and a 52-week high of $47.37.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $1.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.23. CNA Financial had a net margin of 9.06% and a return on equity of 14.33%. The company had revenue of $3.51 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.95 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.01 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that CNA Financial will post 5.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. boosted its position in CNA Financial by 52.4% during the first quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 8,517 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $414,000 after acquiring an additional 2,928 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can acquired a new stake in CNA Financial during the first quarter worth approximately $215,000. MetLife Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in CNA Financial during the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its position in CNA Financial by 5.7% during the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 22,748 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,106,000 after acquiring an additional 1,233 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BlackRock Inc. boosted its position in CNA Financial by 8.7% during the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 1,150,456 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $55,935,000 after acquiring an additional 92,007 shares during the last quarter. 98.45% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CNA Financial Company 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.