Daniel Paul Franzetti Sells 12,991 Shares of CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) Stock

CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) CAO Daniel Paul Franzetti sold 12,991 shares of CNA Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.06, for a total transaction of $637,338.46. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 75,612 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,709,524.72. The trade was a 14.66 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

CNA Financial Stock Performance

NYSE:CNA opened at $49.22 on Thursday. CNA Financial Co. has a fifty-two week low of $42.33 and a fifty-two week high of $52.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.28. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $48.67 and a 200 day moving average price of $48.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.98, a PEG ratio of 9.23 and a beta of 0.68.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The insurance provider reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.14. CNA Financial had a return on equity of 12.90% and a net margin of 6.72%. Equities research analysts forecast that CNA Financial Co. will post 4.64 EPS for the current year.

CNA Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a $0.46 dividend. This is an increase from CNA Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.74%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. CNA Financial’s payout ratio is currently 52.27%.

Institutional Trading of CNA Financial

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in CNA. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in CNA Financial by 102.7% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 20,269 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $980,000 after buying an additional 10,269 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of CNA Financial in the fourth quarter worth $387,000. Patrick Mauro Investment Advisor INC. increased its position in shares of CNA Financial by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Patrick Mauro Investment Advisor INC. now owns 129,991 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $6,288,000 after acquiring an additional 950 shares during the period. Voloridge Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CNA Financial in the fourth quarter valued at $1,655,000. Finally, Vident Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in CNA Financial by 102.4% in the fourth quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 35,134 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,699,000 after purchasing an additional 17,779 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.45% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CNA has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced 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. StockNews.com lowered shares of 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.