Short Interest in CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) Expands By 31.5%

CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 900,200 shares, an increase of 31.5% from the October 31st total of 684,800 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 313,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.9 days. Currently, 0.3% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Mark Steven James sold 18,547 shares of CNA Financial stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.58, for a total value of $938,107.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 22,917 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,159,141.86. The trade was a 44.73 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Douglas Worman sold 22,973 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.75, for a total value of $1,119,933.75. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 133,777 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,521,628.75. The trade was a 14.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CNA Financial

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CNA. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its position in CNA Financial by 9.8% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 14,974 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $733,000 after buying an additional 1,338 shares during the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of CNA Financial during the third quarter worth approximately $690,000. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 108.7% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 31,444 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,539,000 after acquiring an additional 16,377 shares during the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp boosted its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 15.9% in the 3rd quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 6,902 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $337,000 after purchasing an additional 946 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in shares of CNA Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at $913,000. 98.45% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CNA has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of CNA Financial from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of CNA Financial from $54.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of CNA Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th.

CNA Financial Stock Up 0.3 %

CNA stock opened at $50.44 on Monday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $48.93 and its 200 day moving average is $47.93. The stock has a market cap of $13.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.46 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. CNA Financial has a 1-year low of $40.92 and a 1-year high of $52.36.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The insurance provider reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.07 by $0.01. CNA Financial had a net margin of 9.26% and a return on equity of 13.30%. The firm had revenue of $3.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.15 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.06 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that CNA Financial will post 4.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CNA Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.49%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. CNA Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.67%.

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.