IMS Capital Management Makes New Investment in CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA)

IMS Capital Management bought a new position in CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 5,300 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $241,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of CNA. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in CNA Financial by 24.8% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 47,108 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,993,000 after acquiring an additional 9,373 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. purchased a new stake in CNA Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. CENTRAL TRUST Co purchased a new stake in CNA Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. New York State Teachers Retirement System purchased a new stake in shares of CNA Financial during the 4th quarter valued at $99,000. Finally, Wakefield Asset Management LLLP purchased a new stake in shares of CNA Financial during the 4th quarter valued at $418,000. 98.45% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at CNA Financial

In related news, insider Susan Ann Stone 6,674 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 30th. The was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other CNA Financial news, CAO Daniel Paul Franzetti sold 23,301 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.78, for a total value of $1,043,418.78. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 63,996 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,865,740.88. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Susan Ann Stone 6,674 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 30th. The disclosure for this trade can be found here. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

CNA Financial Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:CNA traded down $0.25 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $48.89. 315,487 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 272,823. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.27. The company has a market cap of $13.24 billion, a PE ratio of 10.67, a P/E/G ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 0.64. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $45.95 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $44.90. CNA Financial Co. has a twelve month low of $37.95 and a twelve month high of $50.79.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last posted its earnings results on Monday, July 29th. The insurance provider reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.19. The business had revenue of $3.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.08 billion. CNA Financial had a net margin of 9.27% and a return on equity of 14.02%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.13 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that CNA Financial Co. will post 4.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CNA Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 29th. Investors of record on Monday, August 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 12th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.60%. CNA Financial’s payout ratio is 38.43%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on CNA. StockNews.com raised shares of CNA Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of CNA Financial from $48.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday.

CNA Financial 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.