Cincinnati Financial Co. (NASDAQ:CINF) Shares Sold by Ballast Inc.

Ballast Inc. lessened its stake in Cincinnati Financial Co. (NASDAQ:CINF) by 3.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,805 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 100 shares during the quarter. Ballast Inc.’s holdings in Cincinnati Financial were worth $290,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Providence Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in Cincinnati Financial by 11,107.1% in the 1st quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,138 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 3,110 shares during the last quarter. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Cincinnati Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. AM Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Cincinnati Financial during the first quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Clear Street Markets LLC lifted its stake in Cincinnati Financial by 93.1% during the first quarter. Clear Street Markets LLC now owns 309 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Cincinnati Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.24% of the company’s stock.

Cincinnati Financial Stock Up 0.7 %

CINF stock opened at $124.17 on Friday. Cincinnati Financial Co. has a 12-month low of $95.01 and a 12-month high of $124.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The company has a market cap of $19.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.64, a PEG ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a 50 day moving average of $113.86 and a two-hundred day moving average of $106.84.

Cincinnati Financial (NASDAQ:CINF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The insurance provider reported $2.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.95 by $0.33. The firm had revenue of $3.36 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.02 billion. Cincinnati Financial had a net margin of 18.41% and a return on equity of 8.56%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.27 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Cincinnati Financial Co. will post 6.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cincinnati Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 19th will be given a dividend of $0.81 per share. This is a boost from Cincinnati Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 18th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.61%. Cincinnati Financial’s payout ratio is currently 27.76%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on CINF. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Cincinnati Financial from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the company from $125.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Monday. TheStreet raised shares of Cincinnati Financial from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott initiated coverage on shares of Cincinnati Financial in a research report on Thursday, December 14th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $110.00 price target for the company. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $116.71.

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.