CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) Shares Acquired by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) by 43.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 31,269 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,528 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in CNA Financial were worth $1,512,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CNA. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 663.4% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 771 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 670 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in CNA Financial by 29.2% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,265 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 286 shares in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC lifted its holdings in CNA Financial by 28.3% in the fourth quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 1,475 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $71,000 after acquiring an additional 325 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of CNA Financial during the 4th quarter worth $74,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 16.7% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,051 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $99,000 after purchasing an additional 293 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.45% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at CNA Financial

In related news, CAO Daniel Paul Franzetti sold 12,991 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.06, for a total transaction of $637,338.46. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 75,612 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,709,524.72. This represents a 14.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Chairman Dino Robusto sold 6,250 shares of CNA Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.86, for a total transaction of $305,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 720,442 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $35,200,796.12. The trade was a 0.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 25,491 shares of company stock worth $1,261,838. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

CNA Financial Trading Up 2.1 %

Shares of CNA stock opened at $48.50 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $13.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.78, a P/E/G ratio of 9.23 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. CNA Financial Co. has a fifty-two week low of $42.33 and a fifty-two week high of $52.36. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $48.78 and a 200-day simple moving average of $48.74.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The insurance provider reported $1.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.14. CNA Financial had a net margin of 6.72% and a return on equity of 12.90%. On average, analysts forecast that CNA Financial Co. will post 4.64 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, March 13th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.79%. This is a positive change from CNA Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. CNA Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 52.27%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on shares of CNA Financial from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of CNA Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th.

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.