Short Interest in Cincinnati Financial Co. (NASDAQ:CINF) Grows By 18.0%

Cincinnati Financial Co. (NASDAQ:CINF) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 2,560,000 shares, an increase of 18.0% from the February 13th total of 2,170,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 724,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.5 days. Approximately 1.7% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Cincinnati Financial Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of CINF opened at $146.22 on Friday. Cincinnati Financial has a 52-week low of $109.93 and a 52-week high of $161.75. The business’s fifty day moving average is $139.76 and its 200-day moving average is $142.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 0.29. The firm has a market cap of $22.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.07, a PEG ratio of 8.30 and a beta of 0.66.

Cincinnati Financial (NASDAQ:CINF) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The insurance provider reported $3.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.90 by $1.24. Cincinnati Financial had a return on equity of 9.01% and a net margin of 20.22%. Equities analysts anticipate that Cincinnati Financial will post 5.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cincinnati Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.87 per share. 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. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.38%. Cincinnati Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.97%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on CINF. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on Cincinnati Financial from $180.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Roth Mkm raised their price objective on Cincinnati Financial from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Cincinnati Financial presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cincinnati Financial

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Oak Thistle LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Cincinnati Financial by 177.8% during the 4th quarter. Oak Thistle LLC now owns 8,570 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,232,000 after acquiring an additional 5,485 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cincinnati Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at $546,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Cincinnati Financial by 49.5% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 445,337 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $60,619,000 after acquiring an additional 147,542 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Cincinnati Financial by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 191,149 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $26,019,000 after acquiring an additional 5,097 shares in the last quarter. Finally, New York Life Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Cincinnati Financial by 11.5% during the 4th quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 23,117 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $3,322,000 after acquiring an additional 2,383 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.24% of the company’s stock.

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.