Cincinnati Financial Co. (NASDAQ:CINF) Short Interest Down 12.9% in July

Cincinnati Financial Co. (NASDAQ:CINF) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest during the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,020,000 shares, a decline of 12.9% from the July 15th total of 2,320,000 shares. Approximately 1.3% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 672,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.0 days.

Cincinnati Financial Trading Up 0.2 %

CINF traded up $0.20 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $131.32. 216,794 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 773,988. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.65. Cincinnati Financial has a 52 week low of $96.86 and a 52 week high of $132.69. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $121.26 and a two-hundred day moving average of $118.20. 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 announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The insurance provider reported $1.29 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.96 by $0.33. The company had revenue of $2.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.21 billion. Cincinnati Financial had a return on equity of 9.10% and a net margin of 20.20%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.21 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Cincinnati Financial will post 6.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cincinnati Financial

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of CINF. Assetmark Inc. raised its stake in Cincinnati Financial by 252.2% in the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 243 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC purchased a new position in shares of Cincinnati Financial during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Cincinnati Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Cincinnati Financial in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC bought a new stake in shares of Cincinnati Financial during the first quarter valued at approximately $47,000. 65.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of Cincinnati Financial from $151.00 to $149.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 6th. Citigroup upgraded shares of Cincinnati Financial from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $126.00 to $135.00 in a research report on Friday, June 28th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on Cincinnati Financial from $146.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Roth Mkm boosted their target price on Cincinnati Financial from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Cincinnati Financial currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $133.57.

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.