Cincinnati Financial (NASDAQ:CINF) Rating Increased to Outperform at BMO Capital Markets

BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Cincinnati Financial (NASDAQ:CINF) from a market perform rating to an outperform rating in a report released on Monday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage currently has $135.00 price target on the insurance provider’s stock, up from their prior price target of $125.00.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Janney Montgomery Scott began coverage on Cincinnati Financial in a report on Thursday, December 14th. They set a neutral rating and a $110.00 price objective for the company. TheStreet upgraded Cincinnati Financial from a c+ rating to a b rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $116.71.

Cincinnati Financial Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of CINF stock opened at $124.17 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $19.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 0.62. Cincinnati Financial has a one year low of $95.01 and a one year high of $124.35. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $113.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $106.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 0.27 and a quick ratio of 0.27.

Cincinnati Financial (NASDAQ:CINF) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The insurance provider reported $2.28 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.95 by $0.33. The firm had revenue of $3.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.02 billion. Cincinnati Financial had a return on equity of 8.56% and a net margin of 18.41%. Cincinnati Financial’s quarterly revenue was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.27 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Cincinnati Financial will post 6.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Cincinnati Financial Increases Dividend

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

Institutional Trading of Cincinnati Financial

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of CINF. Assetmark Inc. lifted its position in shares of Cincinnati Financial by 252.2% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 243 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Cincinnati Financial in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Providence Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings 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 in the last quarter. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Cincinnati Financial in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Raleigh Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Cincinnati Financial in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. 65.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.