CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) Short Interest Up 31.5% in November

CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) saw a large growth in short interest in the month of November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 900,200 shares, a growth of 31.5% from the October 31st total of 684,800 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 313,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.9 days. Approximately 0.3% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Insider Buying and Selling at CNA Financial

In other CNA Financial news, EVP Douglas Worman sold 22,973 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.75, for a total transaction 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. This represents a 14.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Mark Steven James sold 18,547 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.58, for a total transaction of $938,107.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 22,917 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,159,141.86. This trade represents a 44.73 % 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

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new position in shares of CNA Financial during the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Fairscale Capital LLC bought a new position in CNA Financial in the 2nd quarter worth $55,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of CNA Financial by 36.9% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,566 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $72,000 after buying an additional 422 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. purchased a new position in CNA Financial during the second quarter valued at approximately $92,000. Finally, Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of CNA Financial by 17.3% during the second quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,059 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $95,000 after purchasing an additional 303 shares in the last quarter. 98.45% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on CNA shares. StockNews.com upgraded CNA Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Bank of America raised their price objective on CNA Financial from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on shares of CNA Financial from $54.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th.

CNA Financial Stock Performance

Shares of CNA Financial stock traded up $0.17 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $50.44. 258,763 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 274,376. CNA Financial has a 12 month low of $40.92 and a 12 month high of $52.36. The company has a market capitalization of $13.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.51, a P/E/G ratio of 6.44 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $48.93 and a 200 day simple moving average of $47.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 0.26.

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

CNA Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 dividend yield of 3.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. CNA Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.