Brandes Investment Partners LP Has $696,000 Stock Position in CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA)

Brandes Investment Partners LP raised its stake in shares of CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) by 12.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,382 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,548 shares during the quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP’s holdings in CNA Financial were worth $696,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CNA. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new position in shares of CNA Financial in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 663.4% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 771 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 670 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 29.2% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,265 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 286 shares in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 28.3% in the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 1,475 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $71,000 after acquiring an additional 325 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 16.7% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,051 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $99,000 after acquiring an additional 293 shares in the last quarter. 98.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on CNA Financial from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. StockNews.com cut shares of CNA Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th.

CNA Financial Stock Performance

CNA stock opened at $49.05 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.28 and a quick ratio of 0.28. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $48.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $48.99. CNA Financial Co. has a fifty-two week low of $42.33 and a fifty-two week high of $52.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.29 billion, a PE ratio of 13.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 9.23 and a beta of 0.68.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The insurance provider reported $1.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.14. CNA Financial had a net margin of 6.72% and a return on equity of 12.90%. Analysts forecast that CNA Financial Co. will post 4.64 EPS for the current year.

CNA Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a dividend of $0.46 per share. This is a boost from CNA Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.75%. CNA Financial’s payout ratio is presently 52.27%.

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.