CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) Cut to “Hold” at Wall Street Zen

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Sunday.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on CNA. Zacks Research downgraded shares of CNA Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 1st. Weiss Ratings raised CNA Financial from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, CNA Financial presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

CNA Financial Stock Performance

Shares of CNA stock opened at $48.67 on Friday. CNA Financial has a one year low of $43.29 and a one year high of $51.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.28. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $47.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $46.80. The firm has a market cap of $13.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.38, a P/E/G ratio of 8.99 and a beta of 0.37.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The insurance provider reported $1.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $3.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.88 billion. CNA Financial had a net margin of 8.53% and a return on equity of 12.23%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.25 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that CNA Financial will post 4.64 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at CNA Financial

In related news, Chairman Dino Robusto sold 6,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.62, for a total transaction of $297,625.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman directly owned 661,838 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,516,725.56. This trade represents a 0.94% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of CNA Financial

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Amundi raised its stake in CNA Financial by 5.3% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 7,787 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $395,000 after buying an additional 389 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 0.7% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 351,997 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $17,878,000 after acquiring an additional 2,466 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 12.9% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 5,966 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $303,000 after buying an additional 684 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth bought a new position in shares of CNA Financial during the 1st quarter valued at about $281,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc grew its position in CNA Financial by 240.3% in the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 878 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 620 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.45% of the company’s stock.

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.