Cincinnati Financial Co. (NASDAQ:CINF) Short Interest Update

Cincinnati Financial Co. (NASDAQ:CINF) was the recipient of a large 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. Currently, 1.7% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 724,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.5 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cincinnati Financial

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its position in shares of Cincinnati Financial by 8.1% in the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 22,744 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $3,096,000 after purchasing an additional 1,712 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Cincinnati Financial by 16.0% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 96,462 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $13,130,000 after acquiring an additional 13,334 shares during the period. Claro Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Cincinnati Financial during the third quarter worth approximately $239,000. Quest Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Cincinnati Financial during the third quarter worth approximately $151,000. Finally, Meeder Advisory Services Inc. grew its position in shares of Cincinnati Financial by 328.0% in the third quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 12,111 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,649,000 after purchasing an additional 9,281 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.24% of the company’s stock.

Cincinnati Financial Trading Up 1.2 %

NASDAQ CINF opened at $147.68 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $23.12 billion, a PE ratio of 10.17, a PEG ratio of 8.30 and a beta of 0.66. Cincinnati Financial has a 12 month low of $109.93 and a 12 month high of $161.75. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $139.67 and a 200-day moving average of $142.28. The company has a current ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06.

Cincinnati Financial (NASDAQ:CINF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The insurance provider reported $3.14 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%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Cincinnati Financial will post 5.36 EPS for the current fiscal 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 paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. This is an increase from Cincinnati Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.36%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 24th. Cincinnati Financial’s payout ratio is currently 23.97%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on CINF. Roth Mkm upped their price target 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 increased 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.