Cincinnati Financial Co. (NASDAQ:CINF) Shares Sold by NFJ Investment Group LLC

NFJ Investment Group LLC lessened its stake in Cincinnati Financial Co. (NASDAQ:CINF) by 9.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 70,758 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 7,449 shares during the period. NFJ Investment Group LLC’s holdings in Cincinnati Financial were worth $10,168,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in Cincinnati Financial by 13.1% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 534,361 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $72,736,000 after acquiring an additional 61,801 shares in the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cincinnati Financial during the third quarter worth about $381,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Cincinnati Financial by 1,219.2% in the third quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 686 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $93,000 after purchasing an additional 634 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Cincinnati Financial in the third quarter valued at approximately $546,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Cincinnati Financial during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $103,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.24% of the company’s stock.

Cincinnati Financial Price Performance

Cincinnati Financial stock opened at $133.33 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $20.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 8.30 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $139.86 and a 200-day simple moving average of $142.68. 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 Co. has a 12-month low of $109.93 and a 12-month high of $161.75.

Cincinnati Financial (NASDAQ:CINF) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 9.01% and a net margin of 20.22%. Equities analysts expect that Cincinnati Financial Co. will post 5.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cincinnati Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 24th were issued a $0.87 dividend. This is a boost from Cincinnati Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 24th. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.61%. Cincinnati Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 23.97%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on CINF. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on shares of Cincinnati Financial from $182.00 to $148.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. StockNews.com cut Cincinnati Financial from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Roth Mkm upped their price target on Cincinnati Financial from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $147.40.

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.