Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new position in shares of CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 22,025 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,065,000.
Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC lifted its position in CNA Financial by 12.9% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 10,355 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $477,000 after buying an additional 1,183 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. acquired a new position in CNA Financial during the second quarter valued at approximately $724,000. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its position in CNA Financial by 17.8% during the second quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 12,019 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $557,000 after purchasing an additional 1,816 shares during the last quarter. Caxton Associates LP grew its stake in CNA Financial by 170.8% in the second quarter. Caxton Associates LP now owns 13,941 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $642,000 after purchasing an additional 8,792 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AXA S.A. increased its position in shares of CNA Financial by 23.0% during the 2nd quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 153,414 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $7,068,000 after purchasing an additional 28,674 shares during the last quarter. 98.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
CNA traded up $0.56 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $48.70. The company's stock had a trading volume of 236,040 shares, compared to its average volume of 181,778. The company's 50-day moving average is $48.60 and its 200-day moving average is $48.92. CNA Financial Co. has a 52 week low of $42.33 and a 52 week high of $52.36. The firm has a market cap of $13.19 billion, a PE ratio of 10.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.02 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 0.26.
CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The insurance provider reported $1.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.07 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $3.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.15 billion. CNA Financial had a net margin of 9.26% and a return on equity of 13.30%. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.06 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that CNA Financial Co. will post 4.68 EPS for the current year.
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.61%. CNA Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.67%.
Several research firms have recently commented on CNA. StockNews.com raised CNA Financial from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of CNA Financial from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on shares of CNA Financial from $55.00 to $54.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th.
Get Our Latest Stock Report on CNA
In other CNA Financial news, EVP Douglas Worman sold 22,973 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.75, for a total transaction of $1,119,933.75. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 133,777 shares in the company, valued at $6,521,628.75. This represents a 14.66 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
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.
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