BNP Paribas Financial Markets Has $1.51 Million Stock Position in CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in shares of CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) by 6,505.2% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 30,780 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 30,314 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets’ holdings in CNA Financial were worth $1,506,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake in CNA Financial in the third quarter valued at $1,668,000. Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of CNA Financial by 65.8% in the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 10,665 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $522,000 after purchasing an additional 4,231 shares during the period. Raymond James Trust N.A. grew its holdings in CNA Financial by 4.1% during the third quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 6,526 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $319,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC grew its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 10,940 shares during the period. Finally, GSA Capital Partners LLP raised its stake in CNA Financial by 131.8% in the third quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 35,470 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,736,000 after buying an additional 20,169 shares during the period. 98.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

CNA Financial Stock Down 1.7 %

CNA stock opened at $50.09 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.38 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a current ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $49.03 and a 200-day moving average price of $48.13. CNA Financial Co. has a 12 month low of $40.92 and a 12 month high of $52.36.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The insurance provider reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.07 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $3.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 previous year, the company posted $1.06 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that CNA Financial Co. will post 4.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CNA Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.51%. CNA Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.67%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on CNA shares. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of CNA Financial from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target 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. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded CNA Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Mark Steven James sold 18,547 shares of the 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 owns 22,917 shares in the company, valued at $1,159,141.86. This represents a 44.73 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Douglas Worman sold 22,973 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

CNA Financial 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.