CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) Stock Breaks Above 200 Day Moving Average - Here's Why

Key Points

• CNA Financial shares crossed above their 200-day moving average, reaching $48.03 and last trading around $47.84, up 1.1%.
• Analyst sentiment is moderately positive, with one Buy and one Hold rating; Zacks upgraded the stock to Hold, while the company’s latest quarterly earnings of $1.19 per share exceeded estimates.
• CNA announced a quarterly dividend of $0.48, equivalent to $1.92 annually and a 4.0% yield. Institutional investors own 98.45% of the company, while two executives recently sold shares.

CNA Financial Corporation (NYSE:CNA - Get Free Report)'s stock price crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Friday. The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $47.71 and traded as high as $48.03. CNA Financial shares last traded at $47.8410, with a volume of 324,064 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CNA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Zacks Research upgraded CNA Financial from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of CNA Financial from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, CNA Financial has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

CNA Financial Trading Up 1.1%

The stock's fifty day moving average price is $48.07 and its 200 day moving average price is $47.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.27 and a quick ratio of 0.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.51, a PEG ratio of 5.27 and a beta of 0.26.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The insurance provider reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.11. CNA Financial had a net margin of 8.16% and a return on equity of 11.34%. The company had revenue of $3.83 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.97 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.23 EPS. Research analysts forecast that CNA Financial Corporation will post 4.24 earnings per share for the current year.

CNA Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 17th were paid a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 17th. CNA Financial's dividend payout ratio is currently 42.20%.

Insider Transactions at CNA Financial

In other news, CAO Daniel Franzetti sold 22,656 shares of CNA Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.09, for a total transaction of $1,202,807.04. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 68,032 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,611,818.88. The trade was a 24.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Mark James sold 8,273 shares of CNA Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.15, for a total transaction of $439,709.95. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 26,446 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,405,604.90. This represents a 23.83% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.29% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CNA. NFSG Corp purchased a new stake in shares of CNA Financial in the 3rd quarter worth $44,000. Affinity Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of CNA Financial during the 3rd quarter worth $227,000. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC grew its position in shares of CNA Financial by 97.0% during the 3rd quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 13,049 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $609,000 after buying an additional 6,425 shares in the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital purchased a new position in shares of CNA Financial during the third quarter valued at $321,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 226.1% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 17,656 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $792,000 after buying an additional 12,242 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 98.45% of the company's stock.

About CNA Financial

CNA Financial Corporation NYSE: CNA is a commercial property and casualty insurance company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Through its CNA Insurance operations, the company provides insurance products and risk-management services to businesses, professional organizations and other commercial customers.

CNA's offerings include commercial property and casualty coverage, specialty insurance, professional liability, management liability, cyber insurance, workers' compensation, marine insurance, surety and other risk solutions.

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