Short Interest in CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) Expands By 12.8%

CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) saw a significant growth in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 917,400 shares, a growth of 12.8% from the December 15th total of 813,400 shares. Approximately 0.3% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 260,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.5 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on CNA. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on shares of CNA Financial from $55.00 to $54.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. StockNews.com raised CNA Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their target price on CNA Financial from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Douglas Worman sold 22,973 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.75, for a total value of $1,119,933.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 133,777 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,521,628.75. This represents a 14.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.31% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of CNA Financial

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of CNA. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CNA Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Fairscale Capital LLC purchased a new position in CNA Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in CNA Financial by 17.3% during the second quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,059 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $95,000 after purchasing an additional 303 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in 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 purchasing an additional 293 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new stake in CNA Financial in the third quarter valued at $146,000. 98.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CNA Financial Stock Performance

Shares of CNA traded up $0.17 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $48.93. 221,117 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 181,018. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $48.59 and its 200-day simple moving average is $48.80. CNA Financial has a 52-week low of $42.24 and a 52-week high of $52.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.25 billion, a PE ratio of 10.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.70 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.26 and a quick ratio of 0.26.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The insurance provider reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.07 by $0.01. CNA Financial had a net margin of 9.26% and a return on equity of 13.30%. The company had revenue of $3.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.15 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.06 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that CNA Financial will post 4.68 earnings per share for the current year.

CNA Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.60%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. CNA Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.67%.

CNA Financial Company 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.