First Trust Advisors LP Buys 249,346 Shares of CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA)

First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) by 20.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,486,853 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 249,346 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned about 0.55% of CNA Financial worth $71,919,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in CNA Financial by 663.4% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 771 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 670 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 29.2% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,265 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 286 shares during the period. Quent Capital LLC increased its holdings in CNA Financial by 28.3% in the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 1,475 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $71,000 after acquiring an additional 325 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in CNA Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $74,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in CNA Financial by 16.7% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,051 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $99,000 after acquiring an additional 293 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.45% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at CNA Financial

In other news, Chairman Dino Robusto sold 6,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.86, for a total transaction of $305,375.00. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 720,442 shares in the company, valued at approximately $35,200,796.12. This trade represents a 0.86 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Daniel Paul Franzetti sold 12,991 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.06, for a total value of $637,338.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 75,612 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,709,524.72. This represents a 14.66 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 25,491 shares of company stock valued at $1,261,838 over the last three months. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

CNA Financial Price Performance

CNA stock opened at $46.74 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $48.64 and a 200-day moving average of $48.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 9.23 and a beta of 0.47. CNA Financial Co. has a 12 month low of $42.33 and a 12 month high of $52.36. The company has a current ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The insurance provider reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by $0.14. CNA Financial had a net margin of 6.72% and a return on equity of 12.90%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that CNA Financial Co. will post 4.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CNA Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 13th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were given a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.94%. This is a boost from CNA Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. CNA Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 52.27%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of CNA Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on CNA Financial from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th.

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.