Cincinnati Financial Co. (NASDAQ:CINF) Short Interest Down 5.0% in January

Cincinnati Financial Co. (NASDAQ:CINF) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest in January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,070,000 shares, a decrease of 5.0% from the January 15th total of 2,180,000 shares. Approximately 1.4% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 642,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.2 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on CINF. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on shares of Cincinnati Financial from $180.00 to $182.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of Cincinnati Financial from $116.00 to $126.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Roth Mkm increased their price target on shares of Cincinnati Financial from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.00.

Insider Transactions at Cincinnati Financial

In related news, Director Dirk J. Debbink purchased 1,000 shares of Cincinnati Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 3rd. The stock was bought at an average price of $157.19 per share, for a total transaction of $157,190.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 54,500 shares in the company, valued at $8,566,855. This represents a 1.87 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 2.83% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cincinnati Financial

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Oak Thistle LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Cincinnati Financial by 177.8% in the fourth quarter. Oak Thistle LLC now owns 8,570 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,232,000 after buying an additional 5,485 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Cincinnati Financial in the third quarter worth about $546,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Cincinnati Financial by 49.5% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 445,337 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $60,619,000 after buying an additional 147,542 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Cincinnati Financial by 10.6% in the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 117,393 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $15,923,000 after buying an additional 11,282 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Cincinnati Financial by 2.7% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 191,149 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $26,019,000 after buying an additional 5,097 shares in the last quarter. 65.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cincinnati Financial Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CINF opened at $136.61 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.35 billion, a PE ratio of 7.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.71. Cincinnati Financial has a twelve month low of $109.93 and a twelve month high of $161.74. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $141.36 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $140.66.

Cincinnati Financial (NASDAQ:CINF) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The insurance provider reported $3.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.90 by $1.24. Cincinnati Financial had a net margin of 25.26% and a return on equity of 8.25%. Equities analysts forecast that Cincinnati Financial will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Cincinnati Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 24th will be issued a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.55%. This is an increase from Cincinnati Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 24th. Cincinnati Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 23.97%.

Cincinnati Financial Company Profile

Cincinnati Financial Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides property casualty insurance products in the United States. It operates through five segments: Commercial Lines Insurance, Personal Lines Insurance, Excess and Surplus Lines Insurance, Life Insurance, and Investments. The Commercial Lines Insurance segment offers coverage for commercial casualty, commercial property, commercial auto, and workers' compensation.