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

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

Cincinnati Financial Stock Performance

Shares of CINF stock opened at $136.43 on Thursday. Cincinnati Financial has a one year low of $109.93 and a one year high of $161.74. The company’s 50-day moving average is $141.09 and its 200 day moving average is $140.71. The company has a market capitalization of $21.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 8.38 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 0.29.

Cincinnati Financial (NASDAQ:CINF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The insurance provider reported $3.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. Sell-side analysts expect that Cincinnati Financial will post 5.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cincinnati Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 24th will be given a $0.87 dividend. 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 2.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 24th. Cincinnati Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Dirk J. Debbink acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 3rd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $157.19 per share, with a total value of $157,190.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 54,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,566,855. The trade was a 1.87 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 2.83% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cincinnati Financial

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of CINF. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Cincinnati Financial during the third quarter valued at $27,000. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Cincinnati Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Cincinnati Financial in the third quarter worth about $28,000. Y.D. More Investments Ltd grew 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 worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC bought a new position in shares of Cincinnati Financial in the third quarter worth about $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.24% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CINF has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of Cincinnati Financial from $180.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Roth Mkm upped their target price on shares of Cincinnati Financial from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of Cincinnati Financial from $116.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Cincinnati Financial currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.00.

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.