Seek Returns

CNA vs. RYAN: CNA Financial vs. Ryan Specialty Stock Comparison

How do CNA Financial (CNA) and Ryan Specialty (RYAN) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

CNA Financial (CNA) and Ryan Specialty (RYAN) both belong to the Insurance industry, though CNA is classified under Property & Casualty Insurance while RYAN falls under Insurance Brokers.

CNA Financial (CNA) has more than two decades of public-market history since February 21, 1973, whereas Ryan Specialty (RYAN) listed on July 22, 2021 and has a much shorter record to draw on.

Company profile comparison for CNA Financial (CNA) and Ryan Specialty (RYAN)
Profile ItemCNARYAN
NameCNA Financial Corporation Common StockRyan Specialty Holdings Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorFinancialsFinancials
GICS Industry GroupInsuranceInsurance
GICS IndustryInsuranceInsurance
GICS Sub-IndustryProperty & Casualty InsuranceInsurance Brokers
Market Capitalization12.81 billion USD12.10 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateFebruary 21, 1973July 22, 2021
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CNA
RYAN
GSPC
Loading price history…
CNA Financial (CNA) vs. Ryan Specialty (RYAN), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

Loading price history…
Trailing total returns for CNA Financial (CNA) and Ryan Specialty (RYAN). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…
Calendar-year total returns for CNA Financial (CNA) and Ryan Specialty (RYAN). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for CNA Financial (CNA) and Ryan Specialty (RYAN)
MetricCNARYAN
Total Return (1Y)13.42%-17.50%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)15.22%2.91%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)9.00%5.30%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CNA
RYAN
GSPC
Loading price history…
CNA Financial (CNA) vs. Ryan Specialty (RYAN), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

Loading price history…
Distribution of monthly total returns for CNA Financial (CNA) and Ryan Specialty (RYAN). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for CNA Financial (CNA) and Ryan Specialty (RYAN)
MetricCNARYAN
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)20.85%43.93%
Beta (5Y)0.220.52
Max Drawdown (5Y)-25.67%-60.94%
Avg. Volume (3M)454.06K1.89M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Loading chart…
CNA and RYAN are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for CNA Financial (CNA) and Ryan Specialty (RYAN)
MetricCNARYAN
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.44-0.50
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.62-0.67

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Ryan Specialty (RYAN) at 25.15% sits in the top ROE quartile, while CNA Financial (CNA) at 9.56% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for RYAN.

CNA

Insurance industry group

9.56%

Max
41.68%
Q3
22.04%
Median
14.81%
CNA
9.56%
Q1
8.79%
Min
-10.66%

RYAN

Insurance industry group

25.15%

Max
41.68%
RYAN
25.15%
Q3
22.04%
Median
14.81%
Q1
8.79%
Min
-10.66%
Loading chart…
CNA Financial (CNA) vs. Ryan Specialty (RYAN): A comparison of their ROE against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

CNA Financial (CNA) at 6.80% keeps about the industry-typical share of revenue as profit, while Ryan Specialty (RYAN) at 3.27% retains only a bottom-quartile share.

CNA

Insurance industry group

6.80%

Max
29.92%
Q3
17.03%
Median
10.97%
CNA
6.80%
Q1
6.21%
Min
-4.68%

RYAN

Insurance industry group

3.27%

Max
29.92%
Q3
17.03%
Median
10.97%
Q1
6.21%
RYAN
3.27%
Min
-4.68%
Loading chart…
CNA Financial (CNA) vs. Ryan Specialty (RYAN): A comparison of their net margin against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Neither side reports a meaningful operating margin: for CNA Financial (CNA) in Insurance and Ryan Specialty (RYAN) in Insurance, funding costs are part of the core business, so net margin and ROE are the cleaner profitability reads.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for CNA Financial (CNA) and Ryan Specialty (RYAN)
MetricCNARYAN
ROE (TTM)9.56%25.15%
ROA (TTM)1.29%3.79%
Net Margin (TTM)6.80%3.27%
Operating Margin (TTM)----
Gross Margin (TTM)----

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both CNA Financial (CNA) at 5.10% and Ryan Specialty (RYAN) at 21.28% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Loading chart…
CNA Financial (CNA) vs. Ryan Specialty (RYAN): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

CNA Financial (CNA) at 33.24% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while Ryan Specialty (RYAN) at -33.80% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

Loading chart…
CNA Financial (CNA) vs. Ryan Specialty (RYAN): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for CNA Financial (CNA) and Ryan Specialty (RYAN)
MetricCNARYAN
Revenue Growth (YoY)5.10%21.28%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)7.36%20.93%
EPS Growth (YoY)33.24%-33.80%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)12.66%-3.31%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

current ratio doesn’t apply on either side: CNA Financial (CNA) in Insurance and Ryan Specialty (RYAN) in Insurance both report balance sheets without a current/non-current split, so their short-term liquidity is better judged through regulatory and funding measures.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

debt-to-equity ratio is set aside for both: CNA Financial (CNA) in Insurance and Ryan Specialty (RYAN) in Insurance run businesses where balance-sheet leverage is part of the model, so capital-adequacy and funding measures are the better gauges of balance-sheet risk.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for CNA Financial (CNA) and Ryan Specialty (RYAN)
MetricCNARYAN
Current Ratio (MRQ)----
Debt / Equity (MRQ)----
Net Debt / EBITDA----

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

CNA Financial (CNA) at 3.95% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Ryan Specialty (RYAN) at 1.06% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, CNA the richer one.

CNA

Insurance industry group

3.95%

Max
5.12%
CNA
3.95%
Q3
2.15%
Median
0.98%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

RYAN

Insurance industry group

1.06%

Max
5.12%
Q3
2.15%
RYAN
1.06%
Median
0.98%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
Loading chart…
CNA Financial (CNA) vs. Ryan Specialty (RYAN): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both CNA Financial (CNA) at 50.26% and Ryan Specialty (RYAN) at 63.75% pay out an above-typical share of earnings for their industries, leaving thinner cover if profits dip.

CNA

Insurance industry group

50.26%

Max
76.67%
CNA
50.26%
Q3
35.18%
Median
14.74%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

RYAN

Insurance industry group

63.75%

Max
76.67%
RYAN
63.75%
Q3
35.18%
Median
14.74%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
Loading chart…
CNA Financial (CNA) vs. Ryan Specialty (RYAN): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for CNA Financial (CNA) and Ryan Specialty (RYAN)
MetricCNARYAN
Dividend Yield (TTM)3.95%1.06%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)50.26%63.75%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

CNA Financial (CNA) at 12.52 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Ryan Specialty (RYAN) at 59.66 sits above its peer range — an unusually expensive price for RYAN’s trailing earnings.

CNA

Insurance industry group

12.52

Max
28.37
Q3
18.75
CNA
12.52
Median
12.23
Q1
9.08
Min
2.32

RYAN

Insurance industry group

59.66

RYAN
59.66
Max
28.37
Q3
18.75
Median
12.23
Q1
9.08
Min
2.32
Loading chart…
CNA Financial (CNA) vs. Ryan Specialty (RYAN): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

CNA Financial (CNA) at 0.84 looks cheap on sales in the lower P/S ratio quartile, while Ryan Specialty (RYAN) at 3.78 looks rich in the upper quartile — a clear gap in price per dollar of revenue.

CNA

Insurance industry group

0.84

Max
4.03
Q3
2.25
Median
1.23
Q1
0.85
CNA
0.84
Min
0.07

RYAN

Insurance industry group

3.78

Max
4.03
RYAN
3.78
Q3
2.25
Median
1.23
Q1
0.85
Min
0.07
Loading chart…
CNA Financial (CNA) vs. Ryan Specialty (RYAN): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

CNA Financial (CNA) at 1.25 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while Ryan Specialty (RYAN) at 12.86 prices above its benchmark range — RYAN looks rich relative to book.

CNA

Insurance industry group

1.25

Max
5.07
Q3
2.79
Median
1.76
CNA
1.25
Q1
1.23
Min
0.30

RYAN

Insurance industry group

12.86

RYAN
12.86
Max
5.07
Q3
2.79
Median
1.76
Q1
1.23
Min
0.30
Loading chart…
CNA Financial (CNA) vs. Ryan Specialty (RYAN): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for CNA Financial (CNA) and Ryan Specialty (RYAN)
MetricCNARYAN
P/E Ratio (TTM)12.5259.66
P/S Ratio (TTM)0.843.78
P/B Ratio (MRQ)1.2512.86
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)----