CHICAGO - CNA Financial Corporation (NYSE: CNA) announced a strong start to the year with record first-quarter core income, although its earnings per share (EPS) fell short of analyst expectations. The company reported a first-quarter EPS of $1.30, which was below the analyst estimate of $1.40. Despite the EPS miss, the company's net income rose to $338 million, a 14% increase from the $297 million reported in the same quarter of the previous year. Core income also saw a significant rise, reaching $355 million, up 9% from $325 million in the prior-year quarter. The company's Property & Casualty (P&C) core income stood at $372 million, driven by higher investment income and favorable net prior year development, although partially offset by increased catastrophe losses. P&C segments, excluding third party captives, experienced an 8% growth in gross written premium and a 6% increase in net written premium.