Cincinnati Financial Co. (NASDAQ:CINF) Short Interest Up 12.9% in November

Cincinnati Financial Co. (NASDAQ:CINF) saw a large increase in short interest in November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 2,010,000 shares, an increase of 12.9% from the November 15th total of 1,780,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 522,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.8 days. Approximately 1.3% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on CINF. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of Cincinnati Financial from $152.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on Cincinnati Financial from $116.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Cincinnati Financial from $149.00 to $168.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $143.33.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Dirk J. Debbink acquired 1,000 shares of Cincinnati Financial stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 3rd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $157.19 per share, with a total value of $157,190.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 54,500 shares in the company, valued at $8,566,855. This trade represents a 1.87 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 2.83% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cincinnati Financial

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CINF. Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Cincinnati Financial in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Cincinnati Financial during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Cincinnati Financial in the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Rothschild Investment LLC purchased a new position in Cincinnati Financial during the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Cincinnati Financial during the third quarter valued at $29,000. 65.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Cincinnati Financial Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ CINF traded up $0.07 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $152.29. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 684,615 shares, compared to its average volume of 682,254. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $147.25 and a two-hundred day moving average of $133.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 0.31 and a quick ratio of 0.31. Cincinnati Financial has a 52 week low of $100.31 and a 52 week high of $161.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.81 billion, a PE ratio of 7.82, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.69.

Cincinnati Financial (NASDAQ:CINF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The insurance provider reported $1.42 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.46 by ($0.04). Cincinnati Financial had a net margin of 25.26% and a return on equity of 8.25%. The firm had revenue of $2.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.24 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.66 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Cincinnati Financial will post 6.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cincinnati Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 19th will be given a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 19th. Cincinnati Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 16.65%.

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.