Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Raises Holdings in CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA)

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund increased its holdings in CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) by 137.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 24,652 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 14,265 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in CNA Financial were worth $1,192,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new position in shares of CNA Financial during the third quarter worth $36,000. Quent Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of CNA Financial by 28.3% during the fourth quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 1,475 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 325 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of CNA Financial by 16.7% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,051 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $99,000 after buying an additional 293 shares during the period. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of CNA Financial during the third quarter worth $146,000. Finally, US Bancorp DE boosted its position in shares of CNA Financial by 26.6% during the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 3,449 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $169,000 after buying an additional 725 shares during the period. 98.45% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CNA Financial Stock Up 0.7 %

CNA Financial stock opened at $48.95 on Monday. CNA Financial Co. has a 1-year low of $42.33 and a 1-year high of $52.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.28 and a quick ratio of 0.28. The stock has a market cap of $13.26 billion, a PE ratio of 13.91, a P/E/G ratio of 9.23 and a beta of 0.66. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $48.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $49.10.

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

CNA Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 24th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.76%. This is a positive change from CNA Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. CNA Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 52.27%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CNA has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on CNA Financial from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. StockNews.com lowered CNA Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th.

About CNA Financial

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.