Commerce Bank Sells 1,015 Shares of CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA)

Commerce Bank cut its holdings in CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) by 7.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 12,536 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 1,015 shares during the quarter. Commerce Bank’s holdings in CNA Financial were worth $614,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. New York State Common Retirement Fund grew its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 366.7% during the third quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 1,401,539 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $68,591,000 after purchasing an additional 1,101,217 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of CNA Financial by 97.9% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,152,528 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $51,760,000 after buying an additional 570,172 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers increased its stake in shares of CNA Financial by 570.6% in the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 529,862 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $24,411,000 after acquiring an additional 450,843 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in shares of CNA Financial by 45.5% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,068,956 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $49,247,000 after acquiring an additional 334,463 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in CNA Financial by 786.5% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 153,669 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $7,080,000 after acquiring an additional 136,334 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.45% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CNA has been the topic of several analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of 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 stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on CNA Financial from $54.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other CNA Financial news, EVP Douglas Worman sold 22,973 shares of CNA Financial stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were 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 directly owns 133,777 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,521,628.75. The trade was a 14.66 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Mark Steven James sold 18,547 shares of CNA Financial stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.58, for a total value of $938,107.26. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 22,917 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,159,141.86. This represents a 44.73 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

CNA Financial Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of CNA stock opened at $49.69 on Tuesday. CNA Financial Co. has a 12-month low of $40.92 and a 12-month high of $52.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $48.89 and a 200-day moving average of $47.80. The company has a market capitalization of $13.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.35, a P/E/G ratio of 6.35 and a beta of 0.65.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The insurance provider reported $1.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.07 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $3.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.15 billion. CNA Financial had a return on equity of 13.30% and a net margin of 9.26%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.06 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that CNA Financial Co. will post 4.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CNA Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be paid a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. CNA Financial’s payout ratio is 36.67%.

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.