Brandes Investment Partners LP Acquires 1,548 Shares of CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA)

Brandes Investment Partners LP raised its holdings in shares of CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) by 12.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 14,382 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,548 shares during the quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP’s holdings in CNA Financial were worth $696,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 66.0% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,177,110 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $56,937,000 after buying an additional 468,058 shares during the period. CORDA Investment Management LLC. grew its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. CORDA Investment Management LLC. now owns 661,532 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $31,998,000 after buying an additional 11,597 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 158.0% in the 3rd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 288,443 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $14,116,000 after buying an additional 176,649 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of CNA Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $13,129,000. Finally, Edgestream Partners L.P. acquired a new position in shares of CNA Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at $7,585,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.45% of the company’s stock.

CNA Financial Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CNA opened at $49.05 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $13.29 billion, a PE ratio of 13.93, a PEG ratio of 9.23 and a beta of 0.68. 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 Co. has a 1-year low of $42.33 and a 1-year high of $52.36. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $48.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $48.99.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The insurance provider reported $1.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. Research analysts predict that CNA Financial Co. will post 4.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CNA Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.75%. This is an increase 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 currently 52.27%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on CNA. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on shares of 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 shares of CNA Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th.

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.