Cincinnati Financial Co. (NASDAQ:CINF) Short Interest Up 18.0% in February

Cincinnati Financial Co. (NASDAQ:CINF) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 2,560,000 shares, a growth 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 presently 3.5 days. Currently, 1.7% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CINF has been the subject of several analyst reports. Roth Mkm lifted their price objective on shares of Cincinnati Financial from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Cincinnati Financial from $180.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Cincinnati Financial currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cincinnati Financial

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Cincinnati Financial in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Cincinnati Financial in the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Y.D. More Investments Ltd increased its position in Cincinnati Financial by 121.8% during the 4th quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 193 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new stake in shares of Cincinnati Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of Cincinnati Financial during the third quarter worth $43,000. 65.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Cincinnati Financial Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of CINF opened at $147.68 on Thursday. 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 has a 52-week low of $109.93 and a 52-week high of $161.75. The firm has a market cap of $23.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.17, a PEG ratio of 8.30 and a beta of 0.66. The business’s fifty day moving average is $139.67 and its 200-day moving average is $142.28.

Cincinnati Financial (NASDAQ:CINF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The insurance provider reported $3.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 anticipate that Cincinnati Financial will post 5.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cincinnati Financial Increases Dividend

The firm 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 $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.36%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 24th. This is a positive change from Cincinnati Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. Cincinnati Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.