Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc. Lowers Holdings in Cincinnati Financial Co. (NASDAQ:CINF)

Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc. lessened its holdings in Cincinnati Financial Co. (NASDAQ:CINF) by 2.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,925 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 393 shares during the quarter. Cincinnati Financial makes up approximately 2.2% of Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 8th biggest holding. Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Cincinnati Financial were worth $2,288,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Cincinnati Financial by 31.3% in the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 93,395 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $13,421,000 after purchasing an additional 22,264 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Cincinnati Financial by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,167,705 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,754,399,000 after purchasing an additional 173,417 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC increased its position in Cincinnati Financial by 6.0% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 122,836 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $17,652,000 after buying an additional 6,910 shares in the last quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. bought a new position in shares of Cincinnati Financial in the fourth quarter worth approximately $747,000. Finally, KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new stake in Cincinnati Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $12,204,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.24% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Cincinnati Financial Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:CINF opened at $145.80 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $140.28 and a two-hundred day moving average of $142.57. Cincinnati Financial Co. has a 12-month low of $109.93 and a 12-month high of $161.75. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 8.30 and a beta of 0.66.

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 net margin of 20.22% and a return on equity of 9.01%. On average, equities analysts expect 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 24th will be given a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date 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 dividend yield of 2.39%. Cincinnati Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 23.97%.

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.