Wealthstar Advisors LLC Raises Holdings in CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA)

Wealthstar Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) by 11.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,091 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 842 shares during the quarter. Wealthstar Advisors LLC’s holdings in CNA Financial were worth $367,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. CENTRAL TRUST Co purchased a new position in CNA Financial in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Blue Trust Inc. purchased a new position in CNA Financial in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new position in CNA Financial in the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC purchased a new position in CNA Financial in the fourth quarter worth $48,000. Finally, New York State Teachers Retirement System purchased a new position in CNA Financial in the fourth quarter worth $99,000. 98.45% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at CNA Financial

In other news, CAO Daniel Paul Franzetti sold 23,301 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.78, for a total transaction of $1,043,418.78. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 63,996 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,865,740.88. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have issued reports on CNA shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of CNA Financial from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of CNA Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 16th.

CNA Financial Price Performance

Shares of CNA Financial stock traded down $0.27 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $45.22. The stock had a trading volume of 301,130 shares, compared to its average volume of 345,149. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $44.60 and its 200 day moving average is $44.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.27 billion, a PE ratio of 9.87, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.64. CNA Financial Co. has a twelve month low of $37.54 and a twelve month high of $47.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 6th. The insurance provider reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by ($0.07). The firm had revenue of $3.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.94 billion. CNA Financial had a return on equity of 14.27% and a net margin of 9.17%. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.19 EPS. Equities analysts expect that CNA Financial Co. will post 4.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CNA Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 20th were paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 17th. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.89%. This is a boost from CNA Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. CNA Financial’s payout ratio is currently 38.43%.

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.