Zacks Research Analysts Cut Earnings Estimates for CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA)

CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) – Research analysts at Zacks Research reduced their Q2 2024 earnings estimates for CNA Financial in a research note issued to investors on Monday, May 20th. Zacks Research analyst T. De now forecasts that the insurance provider will earn $1.29 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $1.50. The consensus estimate for CNA Financial’s current full-year earnings is $5.00 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for CNA Financial’s FY2024 earnings at $4.92 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $1.11 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $1.63 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $4.83 EPS.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 6th. The insurance provider reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.37 by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $3.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.94 billion. CNA Financial had a net margin of 9.17% and a return on equity of 14.27%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.19 EPS.

A number of other analysts have also commented on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of CNA Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 16th. Bank of America lowered shares of CNA Financial from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $39.00 to $43.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of CNA Financial from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th.

CNA Financial Stock Performance

Shares of CNA stock opened at $44.58 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $44.25 and its 200-day simple moving average is $43.33. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The firm has a market cap of $12.09 billion, a PE ratio of 9.73, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.63. CNA Financial has a 12 month low of $36.41 and a 12 month high of $47.37.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of CNA. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in CNA Financial by 28.5% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,144 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 254 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 12.7% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,994 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $127,000 after acquiring an additional 337 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd grew its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 36.2% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,903 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $75,000 after acquiring an additional 506 shares in the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 5.0% in the first quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 11,360 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $516,000 after acquiring an additional 540 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CENTRAL TRUST Co acquired a new position in shares of CNA Financial in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.45% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other CNA Financial news, CAO Daniel Paul Franzetti sold 23,301 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.78, for a total transaction of $1,043,418.78. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 63,996 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,865,740.88. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

CNA Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 20th will be given a dividend of $0.44 per share. This is a positive change from CNA Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.95%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 17th. CNA Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 38.43%.

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.