Cincinnati Financial (NASDAQ:CINF) Cut to Sell at StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Cincinnati Financial (NASDAQ:CINF) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note released on Wednesday morning.

CINF has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Roth Mkm upped their price objective on Cincinnati Financial from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on Cincinnati Financial from $182.00 to $148.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $147.40.

Cincinnati Financial Price Performance

NASDAQ:CINF opened at $131.09 on Wednesday. Cincinnati Financial has a 52 week low of $109.93 and a 52 week high of $161.75. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $140.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $142.70. The company has a market capitalization of $20.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.03, a P/E/G ratio of 8.30 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06.

Cincinnati Financial (NASDAQ:CINF) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 20.22% and a return on equity of 9.01%. Equities analysts expect that Cincinnati Financial will post 5.36 EPS for the current year.

Cincinnati Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 24th will be given a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 24th. This is a positive change from Cincinnati Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.65%. Cincinnati Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.97%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cincinnati Financial

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in CINF. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. purchased a new position in Cincinnati Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Y.D. More Investments Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Cincinnati Financial by 121.8% in the fourth quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 193 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC raised its holdings in Cincinnati Financial by 65.4% during the first quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 258 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC lifted its position in Cincinnati Financial by 333.3% in the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 260 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new stake in Cincinnati Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.24% of the company’s stock.

About Cincinnati Financial

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.