CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) Announces Quarterly Dividend of $0.46

CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) declared a quarterly dividend on Monday, February 10th,Wall Street Journal reports. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be paid a dividend of 0.46 per share by the insurance provider on Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.76%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th. This is an increase from CNA Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.44.

CNA Financial has raised its dividend payment by an average of 5.0% per year over the last three years. CNA Financial has a dividend payout ratio of 29.9% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect CNA Financial to earn $4.79 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.76 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 36.7%.

CNA Financial Stock Down 1.3 %

CNA traded down $0.63 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $48.97. The company had a trading volume of 590,292 shares, compared to its average volume of 252,096. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $48.54 and its 200 day moving average price is $49.09. CNA Financial has a 52 week low of $42.33 and a 52 week 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 company has a market capitalization of $13.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.20 and a beta of 0.66.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The insurance provider reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by $0.14. CNA Financial had a net margin of 9.26% and a return on equity of 13.30%. On average, research analysts anticipate that CNA Financial will post 4.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CNA has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on shares of CNA Financial from $55.00 to $54.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. 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.