CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) Hits New 12-Month Low – Time to Sell?

CNA Financial Corporation (NYSE:CNA)’s stock price hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $42.75 and last traded at $42.7610, with a volume of 108208 shares. The stock had previously closed at $43.33.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

CNA Financial Trading Down 1.8%

The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $46.71 and its 200 day simple moving average is $46.79. The firm has a market cap of $11.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.54, a P/E/G ratio of 5.57 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.26 and a quick ratio of 0.26.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 4th. The insurance provider reported $0.83 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.30 by ($0.47). CNA Financial had a return on equity of 11.57% and a net margin of 8.08%.The company had revenue of $3.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.93 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.03 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that CNA Financial Corporation will post 4.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CNA Financial Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at CNA Financial

In related news, SVP Jeffrey John Neuenschwander sold 3,287 shares of the company’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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 7,277 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $334,523.69. This represents a 31.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.29% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CNA Financial

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CNA. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 3,972 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $190,000 after purchasing an additional 211 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its position in CNA Financial by 6.8% during the second quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 3,957 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $184,000 after buying an additional 253 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth increased its position in CNA Financial by 2.9% during the third quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 9,305 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $432,000 after buying an additional 258 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. grew its position in shares of CNA Financial by 13.8% in the first quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 2,275 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $105,000 after purchasing an additional 275 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ballentine Partners LLC grew its position in shares of CNA Financial by 1.5% in the third quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 19,268 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $895,000 after purchasing an additional 279 shares during the last quarter. 98.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CNA Financial Company Profile

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.