Plato Investment Management Ltd Sells 4,000 Shares of Cincinnati Financial Co. (NASDAQ:CINF)

Plato Investment Management Ltd decreased its holdings in Cincinnati Financial Co. (NASDAQ:CINF) by 44.3% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 5,022 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 4,000 shares during the quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in Cincinnati Financial were worth $724,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Oak Thistle LLC raised its stake in Cincinnati Financial by 177.8% in the 4th quarter. Oak Thistle LLC now owns 8,570 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,232,000 after acquiring an additional 5,485 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cincinnati Financial during the 3rd quarter worth about $546,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of Cincinnati Financial by 49.5% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 445,337 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $60,619,000 after buying an additional 147,542 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Cincinnati Financial by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 191,149 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $26,019,000 after buying an additional 5,097 shares during the period. Finally, AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc grew its stake in Cincinnati Financial by 25.0% in the 4th quarter. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc now owns 352,458 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $50,652,000 after buying an additional 70,408 shares during the last quarter. 65.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Cincinnati Financial Stock Down 2.9 %

Shares of CINF opened at $143.26 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.42 billion, a PE ratio of 9.87, a P/E/G ratio of 8.30 and a beta of 0.71. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $139.76 and its 200-day moving average is $141.60. Cincinnati Financial Co. has a 12 month low of $109.93 and a 12 month high of $161.74.

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 return on equity of 9.01% and a net margin of 20.22%. Equities research analysts forecast that Cincinnati Financial Co. will post 5.36 EPS for the current year.

Cincinnati Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.43%. This is an increase from Cincinnati Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 24th. Cincinnati Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 23.97%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Roth Mkm boosted their price objective on Cincinnati Financial from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on Cincinnati Financial from $180.00 to $182.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Cincinnati Financial presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.00.

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.