NINE MASTS CAPITAL Ltd Acquires New Position in CNA Financial Corporation $CNA

NINE MASTS CAPITAL Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of CNA Financial Corporation (NYSE:CNA) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 24,790 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,153,000.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Signaturefd LLC lifted its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 7.7% during the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 3,680 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $171,000 after buying an additional 264 shares in the last quarter. Amundi grew its stake in CNA Financial by 5.3% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 7,787 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $395,000 after buying an additional 389 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in CNA Financial by 102.3% during the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 785 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 397 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE lifted its position in shares of CNA Financial by 12.4% during the first quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 4,164 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $211,000 after acquiring an additional 461 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC grew its position in shares of CNA Financial by 13.6% in the second quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 4,962 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $231,000 after purchasing an additional 593 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.45% of the company’s stock.

CNA Financial Price Performance

CNA opened at $46.91 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.61, a PEG ratio of 3.86 and a beta of 0.50. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $45.82 and a 200-day moving average price of $46.35. CNA Financial Corporation has a 12-month low of $43.29 and a 12-month high of $51.42.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The insurance provider reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $3.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.84 billion. CNA Financial had a return on equity of 11.85% and a net margin of 5.99%.During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.08 EPS. Equities analysts predict that CNA Financial Corporation will post 4.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CNA Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 17th will be paid a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 17th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.9%. CNA Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 50.41%.

Insider Buying and Selling at CNA Financial

In other CNA Financial news, CFO Scott R. Lindquist sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.81, for a total transaction of $488,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 89,867 shares in the company, valued at $4,386,408.27. This represents a 10.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Dino Robusto sold 6,250 shares of CNA Financial stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.28, for a total value of $283,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman owned 674,338 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,534,024.64. This represents a 0.92% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 37,130 shares of company stock worth $1,776,865. 0.36% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on CNA. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of CNA Financial in a research note on Tuesday. Zacks Research raised shares of CNA Financial from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of CNA Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $53.00.

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.