Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Cuts CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) Price Target to $54.00

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) had its price objective decreased by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $55.00 to $54.00 in a research note released on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods currently has a market perform rating on the insurance provider’s stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of CNA Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Bank of America upped their target price on CNA Financial from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th.

CNA Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:CNA opened at $45.78 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The company has a market cap of $12.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.20 and a beta of 0.67. CNA Financial has a 12 month low of $41.64 and a 12 month high of $52.36. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $48.64 and a 200-day moving average price of $48.76.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The insurance provider reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.07 by $0.01. CNA Financial had a return on equity of 13.30% and a net margin of 9.26%. The business had revenue of $3.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.15 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.06 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that CNA Financial will post 4.68 EPS for the current year.

CNA Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.84%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. CNA Financial’s payout ratio is currently 36.67%.

Insider Buying and Selling at CNA Financial

In other CNA Financial news, EVP Douglas Worman sold 22,973 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 133,777 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,521,628.75. This trade represents a 14.66 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CNA Financial

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CNA. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new position in shares of CNA Financial in the third quarter worth $36,000. Fairscale Capital LLC bought a new position in CNA Financial during the 2nd quarter valued at about $55,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 17.3% during the 2nd quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,059 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $95,000 after acquiring an additional 303 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 16.7% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,051 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $99,000 after acquiring an additional 293 shares during the period. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new position in CNA Financial during the third quarter valued at approximately $146,000. 98.45% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.