Vanguard Group Inc. Boosts Position in Cincinnati Financial Co. (NASDAQ:CINF)

Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Cincinnati Financial Co. (NASDAQ:CINF) by 0.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 19,167,705 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 173,417 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 12.26% of Cincinnati Financial worth $2,754,399,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Oak Thistle LLC increased its holdings in Cincinnati Financial by 177.8% in the 4th quarter. Oak Thistle LLC now owns 8,570 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,232,000 after purchasing an additional 5,485 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cincinnati Financial in the third quarter valued at about $546,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in shares of Cincinnati Financial by 49.5% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 445,337 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $60,619,000 after buying an additional 147,542 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Cincinnati Financial by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 191,149 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $26,019,000 after acquiring an additional 5,097 shares in the last quarter. Finally, New York Life Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Cincinnati Financial by 11.5% in the 4th quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 23,117 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $3,322,000 after acquiring an additional 2,383 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.24% of the company’s stock.

Cincinnati Financial Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:CINF opened at $145.80 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $140.28 and a 200 day simple moving average of $142.57. The firm has a market cap of $22.83 billion, a PE ratio of 10.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 8.30 and a beta of 0.66. Cincinnati Financial Co. has a 12-month low of $109.93 and a 12-month high of $161.75. 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 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Cincinnati Financial Co. will post 5.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cincinnati Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. 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. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.39%. Cincinnati Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.97%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on CINF. Roth Mkm raised their price target on shares of Cincinnati Financial from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on Cincinnati Financial from $180.00 to $182.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $154.20.

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.