Short Interest in CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) Rises By 12.8%

CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) saw a large increase in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 917,400 shares, an increase of 12.8% from the December 15th total of 813,400 shares. Approximately 0.3% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 260,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.5 days.

CNA Financial Stock Performance

CNA stock opened at $48.93 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.26 and a quick ratio of 0.26. CNA Financial has a 1 year low of $42.24 and a 1 year high of $52.36. The company has a market cap of $13.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.70 and a beta of 0.67. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $48.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $48.85.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last announced its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The insurance provider reported $1.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.07 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $3.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.15 billion. CNA Financial had a return on equity of 13.30% and a net margin of 9.26%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.06 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that CNA Financial will post 4.68 earnings per share for the current year.

CNA Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were given a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.60%. CNA Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.67%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Douglas Worman sold 22,973 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 133,777 shares in the company, valued at $6,521,628.75. The trade was a 14.66 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of CNA Financial

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new position in shares of CNA Financial in the third quarter worth about $36,000. Fairscale Capital LLC purchased a new stake in CNA Financial in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $55,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in CNA Financial by 17.3% during the 2nd quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,059 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $95,000 after acquiring an additional 303 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in CNA Financial by 16.7% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,051 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $99,000 after purchasing an additional 293 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of CNA Financial in the third quarter worth approximately $146,000. 98.45% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on CNA shares. StockNews.com upgraded CNA Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Bank of America boosted their target price on CNA Financial from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on shares of CNA Financial from $55.00 to $54.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th.

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.