CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) Shares Pass Above 200 Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

CNA Financial Corporation (NYSE:CNA) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $46.31 and traded as high as $46.50. CNA Financial shares last traded at $46.3110, with a volume of 265,929 shares changing hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Zacks Research downgraded CNA Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 1st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of CNA Financial in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of CNA Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 3rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, CNA Financial currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $53.00.

CNA Financial Trading Down 0.2%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The company has a fifty day moving average of $46.59 and a two-hundred day moving average of $46.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.69, a P/E/G ratio of 3.88 and a beta of 0.37.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 3rd. The insurance provider reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $3.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.84 billion. CNA Financial had a net margin of 6.71% and a return on equity of 12.78%. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.08 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that CNA Financial Corporation will post 4.64 EPS for the current year.

CNA Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 4th. Investors of record on Monday, November 17th were issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 17th. CNA Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.41%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Chairman Dino Robusto sold 6,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.62, for a total value of $297,625.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman owned 661,838 shares in the company, valued at $31,516,725.56. This trade represents a 0.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders have sold a total of 18,750 shares of company stock valued at $873,875 in the last three months. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CNA Financial

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Alpine Bank Wealth Management raised its holdings in CNA Financial by 70.0% during the third quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management now owns 556 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in CNA Financial by 6.8% in the second quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 3,957 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $184,000 after purchasing an additional 253 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth increased its position in shares of CNA Financial by 2.9% in the third quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 9,305 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $432,000 after buying an additional 258 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 7.7% during the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 3,680 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $171,000 after buying an additional 264 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ballentine Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 19,268 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $895,000 after buying an additional 279 shares during the last quarter. 98.45% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CNA Financial Company Profile

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.