Bahl & Gaynor Inc. Sells 13,711 Shares of Cincinnati Financial Co. (NASDAQ:CINF)

Bahl & Gaynor Inc. trimmed its holdings in Cincinnati Financial Co. (NASDAQ:CINF) by 1.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,120,083 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 13,711 shares during the period. Bahl & Gaynor Inc.’s holdings in Cincinnati Financial were worth $160,956,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. National Pension Service boosted its position in shares of Cincinnati Financial by 0.6% during the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 254,012 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $34,576,000 after buying an additional 1,513 shares during the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in Cincinnati Financial by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 62,306 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $8,481,000 after acquiring an additional 2,223 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Cincinnati Financial during the 3rd quarter worth $2,210,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Cincinnati Financial in the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Cincinnati Financial in the third quarter valued at about $228,000. 65.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CINF has been the topic of several analyst reports. Roth Mkm boosted their price target 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on Cincinnati Financial from $180.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Cincinnati Financial presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.00.

Cincinnati Financial Stock Performance

NASDAQ CINF opened at $147.48 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $23.08 billion, a PE ratio of 10.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 8.30 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 Co. has a 52-week low of $109.93 and a 52-week high of $161.74. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $139.80 and a 200 day simple moving average of $141.52.

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, topping 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%. On average, research analysts predict that Cincinnati Financial Co. will post 5.36 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 given a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 24th. This is a boost from Cincinnati Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. Cincinnati Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.97%.

Cincinnati Financial 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.