CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) Shares Gap Down – What’s Next?

CNA Financial Corporation (NYSE:CNA)’s share price gapped down before the market opened on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $49.97, but opened at $47.45. CNA Financial shares last traded at $47.6550, with a volume of 60,624 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on CNA shares. Zacks Research cut shares of CNA Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 1st. Wall Street Zen cut CNA Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, February 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised CNA Financial from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, CNA Financial currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

CNA Financial Trading Down 6.0%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.28 and a quick ratio of 0.28. The stock has a market cap of $12.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.04, a P/E/G ratio of 9.22 and a beta of 0.37. The business’s 50 day moving average is $47.72 and its 200 day moving average is $46.95.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The insurance provider reported $1.16 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.20 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $3.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.88 billion. CNA Financial had a return on equity of 12.23% and a net margin of 8.53%.During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.25 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that CNA Financial Corporation will post 4.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CNA Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared an annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Investors of record on Monday, February 23rd will be issued a dividend of $2.00 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 23rd. This represents a dividend yield of 408.0%. CNA Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Chairman Dino Robusto sold 6,250 shares of CNA Financial stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.62, for a total value of $297,625.00. Following the sale, the chairman owned 661,838 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,516,725.56. The trade was a 0.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CNA Financial

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. CORDA Investment Management LLC. boosted its holdings in CNA Financial by 2.5% in the third quarter. CORDA Investment Management LLC. now owns 701,884 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $32,610,000 after acquiring an additional 17,046 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 145.6% in the 2nd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 214,575 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $9,984,000 after purchasing an additional 127,223 shares in the last quarter. Torray Investment Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 18.8% during the 3rd quarter. Torray Investment Partners LLC now owns 502,616 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $23,352,000 after purchasing an additional 79,698 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd increased its position in CNA Financial by 362.6% during the 3rd quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 40,350 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,875,000 after purchasing an additional 31,628 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Patrick Mauro Investment Advisor INC. raised its holdings in CNA Financial by 13.3% in the second quarter. Patrick Mauro Investment Advisor INC. now owns 145,703 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $6,599,000 after buying an additional 17,048 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.45% of the company’s stock.

About CNA Financial

CNA Financial Corporation is a leading U.S.-based commercial property and casualty insurance company offering a broad portfolio of risk management and insurance solutions. The company underwrites coverage for businesses of all sizes across a variety of industry sectors, including manufacturing, healthcare, energy, technology, construction and real estate. In addition to core property and casualty insurance, CNA delivers specialized products such as surety bonds, professional liability, environmental liability and commercial auto coverage.

Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, CNA traces its origins to the founding of Continental Casualty Company in 1897.