Russell Investments Group Ltd. Buys 127,223 Shares of CNA Financial Corporation $CNA

Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in shares of CNA Financial Corporation (NYSE:CNA) by 145.6% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 214,575 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 127,223 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned about 0.08% of CNA Financial worth $9,984,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Inceptionr LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CNA Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at about $758,000. SlateStone Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 11.3% during the second quarter. SlateStone Wealth LLC now owns 25,961 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,208,000 after buying an additional 2,641 shares in the last quarter. Patrick Mauro Investment Advisor INC. raised its position in CNA Financial by 13.3% in the 2nd 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 last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its stake in CNA Financial by 578.1% in the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 495,860 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $23,072,000 after acquiring an additional 422,737 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in CNA Financial by 14.1% during the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 35,014 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,629,000 after acquiring an additional 4,333 shares during the last quarter. 98.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on CNA shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of CNA Financial in a report on Monday. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of CNA Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of CNA Financial from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, CNA Financial presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $53.00.

Insider Activity at CNA Financial

In other CNA Financial news, CFO Scott R. Lindquist sold 8,380 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.98, for a total transaction of $410,452.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 81,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,991,233.26. This trade represents a 9.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Dino Robusto sold 6,250 shares of CNA Financial stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.92, for a total transaction of $293,250.00. Following the transaction, the chairman directly owned 668,088 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,346,688.96. This trade represents a 0.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 27,130 shares of company stock valued at $1,275,765 over the last quarter. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

CNA Financial Stock Performance

Shares of CNA stock opened at $46.25 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $45.86 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $46.27. CNA Financial Corporation has a one year low of $43.29 and a one year high of $51.42. The stock has a market cap of $12.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.67, a P/E/G ratio of 3.82 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.28 and a quick ratio of 0.28.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last issued its earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The insurance provider reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.25. CNA Financial had a net margin of 6.71% and a return on equity of 12.78%. The company had revenue of $3.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.84 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.08 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that CNA Financial Corporation will post 4.64 EPS for the current year.

CNA Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 17th will be paid a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 17th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.0%. CNA Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.41%.

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.