CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) Short Interest Update

CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) was the target of a significant increase in short interest during the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 917,400 shares, an increase of 12.8% from the December 31st total of 813,400 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 260,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.5 days. Approximately 0.3% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Insider Transactions at CNA Financial

In related news, EVP Douglas Worman sold 22,973 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.75, for a total value of $1,119,933.75. Following the sale, the executive vice president now 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CNA Financial

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of CNA Financial by 107.1% in the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 22,172 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,066,000 after buying an additional 11,468 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning increased its stake in CNA Financial by 16.5% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 16,067 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $786,000 after acquiring an additional 2,272 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 69.3% during the third quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 26,737 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,309,000 after buying an additional 10,940 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 43.9% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 41,051 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,009,000 after purchasing an additional 12,528 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC boosted its position in shares of CNA Financial by 108.7% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 31,444 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,539,000 after purchasing an additional 16,377 shares in the last quarter. 98.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

CNA Financial Price Performance

Shares of CNA stock traded down $0.17 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $48.89. 207,791 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 219,138. CNA Financial has a twelve month low of $42.33 and a twelve month high of $52.36. The firm has a market cap of $13.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.19 and a beta of 0.66. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $48.64 and its 200-day simple moving average is $49.03. 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 issued its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The insurance provider reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.07 by $0.01. CNA Financial had a return on equity of 13.30% and a net margin of 9.26%. The business had revenue of $3.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.15 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.06 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that CNA Financial will post 4.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CNA has been the subject of several recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on CNA Financial from $55.00 to $54.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Bank of America increased their price target 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, StockNews.com upgraded CNA Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th.

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.