CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) Hits New 1-Year Low – What’s Next?

CNA Financial Corporation (NYSE:CNA) hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $42.45 and last traded at $42.7850, with a volume of 6204 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $42.79.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on CNA shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of CNA Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, February 15th. Zacks Research downgraded CNA Financial from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded CNA Financial from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold”.

CNA Financial Trading Down 0.7%

The company has a current ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The company’s fifty day moving average is $45.65 and its 200-day moving average is $46.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.41, a P/E/G ratio of 5.86 and a beta of 0.35.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last announced its earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The insurance provider reported $0.83 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.30 by ($0.47). CNA Financial had a net margin of 8.08% and a return on equity of 11.57%. The business had revenue of $3.68 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.93 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.03 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that CNA Financial Corporation will post 4.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CNA Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th will be given a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 18th. CNA Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 42.95%.

Insider Transactions at CNA Financial

In related news, SVP Jeffrey John Neuenschwander sold 3,287 shares of CNA Financial stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.97, for a total transaction of $151,103.39. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 7,277 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $334,523.69. This trade represents a 31.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.29% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CNA Financial

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in CNA Financial by 34.6% in the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,101,092 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $96,482,000 after purchasing an additional 540,448 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in CNA Financial by 409.1% in the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 604,963 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $28,107,000 after purchasing an additional 486,127 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in CNA Financial by 1,509,521.9% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 483,079 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $23,062,000 after purchasing an additional 483,047 shares in the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp increased its stake in CNA Financial by 8,100.7% in the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 484,580 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $23,134,000 after purchasing an additional 478,671 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in CNA Financial by 14.6% in the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,784,682 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $132,941,000 after purchasing an additional 354,076 shares in the last quarter. 98.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About CNA Financial

CNA Financial Corporation is a leading U.S.-based commercial property and casualty insurance company offering a broad portfolio of risk management and insurance solutions. The company underwrites coverage for businesses of all sizes across a variety of industry sectors, including manufacturing, healthcare, energy, technology, construction and real estate. In addition to core property and casualty insurance, CNA delivers specialized products such as surety bonds, professional liability, environmental liability and commercial auto coverage.

Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, CNA traces its origins to the founding of Continental Casualty Company in 1897.