CNA Financial Co. (CNA) To Go Ex-Dividend on November 18th

CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) declared a quarterly dividend on Monday, November 4th,RTT News reports. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th will be paid a dividend of 0.44 per share by the insurance provider on Thursday, December 5th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.59%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th.

CNA Financial has increased its dividend payment by an average of 4.3% per year over the last three years. CNA Financial has a payout ratio of 33.4% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect CNA Financial to earn $4.88 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.76 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 36.1%.

CNA Financial Price Performance

Shares of CNA Financial stock opened at $48.99 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $13.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.21, a PEG ratio of 6.22 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $49.05 and its 200-day simple moving average is $47.56. CNA Financial has a 52 week low of $39.35 and a 52 week high of $52.36.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The insurance provider reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.07 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $3.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.15 billion. CNA Financial had a return on equity of 13.30% and a net margin of 9.26%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.06 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that CNA Financial will post 4.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on CNA shares. StockNews.com raised shares of CNA Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Bank of America raised their price objective on CNA Financial from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on CNA Financial from $54.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th.

Insider Activity at CNA Financial

In related news, EVP Mark Steven James sold 18,547 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.58, for a total value of $938,107.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 22,917 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,159,141.86. This trade represents a 44.73 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Elizabeth Ann Aguinaga sold 26,160 shares of CNA Financial stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.60, for a total value of $1,297,536.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 47,744 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,368,102.40. This represents a 35.40 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 67,680 shares of company stock valued at $3,355,577. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.