CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) Reaches New 52-Week Low – Here’s Why

CNA Financial Corporation (NYSE:CNA) hit a new 52-week low on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $42.45 and last traded at $42.7850, with a volume of 6204 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $42.79.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on CNA shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded CNA Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 15th. Weiss Ratings lowered CNA Financial from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Zacks Research cut CNA Financial from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, CNA Financial has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

CNA Financial Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $11.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.02 and a beta of 0.35. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $45.81 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $46.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last posted its earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The insurance provider reported $0.83 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.30 by ($0.47). CNA Financial had a return on equity of 11.57% and a net margin of 8.08%.The business had revenue of $3.68 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.93 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.03 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that CNA Financial Corporation will post 4.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CNA Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 18th will be paid a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 18th. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.5%. CNA Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 42.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling at CNA Financial

In other news, SVP Jeffrey John Neuenschwander sold 3,287 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.97, for a total value of $151,103.39. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 7,277 shares in the company, valued at $334,523.69. This trade represents a 31.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.29% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CNA Financial

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL boosted its stake in CNA Financial by 125.1% in the third quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL now owns 164,121 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $7,625,000 after acquiring an additional 91,205 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 15.2% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,183,892 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $55,004,000 after purchasing an additional 156,077 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new stake in shares of CNA Financial in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,092,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new stake in shares of CNA Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,632,000. Finally, Capula Management Ltd lifted its stake in CNA Financial by 24.6% in the third quarter. Capula Management Ltd now owns 109,529 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $5,089,000 after purchasing an additional 21,591 shares during the last quarter. 98.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.